How to Use a Cordless Electric Fillet Knife to Fillet Fish? | Blades, Angle, Clean Cuts

For the full breakdown, see our best Cordless Fillet Knife guide.

An electric knife does the cutting, which means the whole job comes down to how you hold the fish and where you point the blade.

The sequence below is the one BUBBA’s own manuals lay out for its cordless models: prep the blade, set the fish on a stable board, run the cut from the pectoral fin to just short of the tail, then skin the fillet and lift the ribs with the blade tip. The order matters more than speed.

What Do You Need Before You Start?

A stable cutting board, a charged battery pack, and the right blade for the fish in front of you cover almost the entire job. Everything else is technique.

• Cutting board or a flat, non-slip surface — a fillet that slides is the most common cause of a ragged cut.
• Charged battery pack — BUBBA’s lithium-ion sets ship with two batteries, so one can run while the other charges.
• Blade matched to fish size — BUBBA lists 7-inch E-Flex, 9-inch E-Flex, 9-inch E-Stiff, and 12-inch E-Stiff in its Pro Series kits, and the 12-inch blades are the ones meant for large fish.
• Clean blades — BUBBA’s instructions say to wash the blades before first use and to separate them before cleaning.

If you are still deciding which model suits the fish you catch, this breakdown of cordless fillet knife options covers blade lengths, battery counts, and runtime side by side.

How Do You Set Up and Start the Knife?

Blade direction and the safety lock are the two setup details that decide whether the first cut goes well. Both are quick, and skipping either one is where beginners lose control.

Insert the blades so the cutting edge faces the same direction as the trigger, then push until the flat extensions click into the handle. BUBBA’s manuals specifically call for verifying that click-in fit before you power on, because a blade that is not fully seated cuts poorly and can work loose. Next, install the battery pack. On at least one cordless model, the safety lock must be released before the trigger will do anything, so if the blades sit still when you squeeze, check the lock first.

Press the trigger and confirm the blades cycle before the knife touches the fish.

Which Cut Order Removes the Fillet Cleanly?

Start at the pectoral fin and the spine, then turn the blades 90 degrees and follow the lateral line toward the tail. That turn is the move that separates a clean fillet from a shredded one.

1. Make the entry cut just behind the pectoral fin, angling down until you feel the blades meet the backbone.
2. Rotate the blades 90 degrees so they ride flat along the ribs and spine.
3. Guide toward the tail along the lateral line, letting the motor do the work rather than pushing hard.
4. Stop short of the tail fin — BUBBA’s instructions say not to cut through it.
5. Flip the fillet away from the fish, angle the blades slightly toward the skin, and keep cutting to separate skin from meat.
6. Use the blade tip to work the rib cage out of the fillet.

Cordless models are built for small, medium, and large fish, but blade size should follow the fish. A 7-inch blade on a big catfish leaves you sawing at the tail end of the cut, while a 12-inch blade on a panfish is more knife than the job needs.

What Goes Wrong, and How Long Does the Battery Last?

Most failures trace back to a loose blade, a moving fish, or a cut pushed too fast — not to the knife.

Recharge when runtime starts dropping rather than waiting for a full stop; a weak pack makes the blades bog down mid-cut. Power options vary by model — some cordless knives also accept a 12-volt lighter adapter or an AC wall outlet, and BUBBA’s safety documentation lists 110V for the corded configuration of the model it covers. Check your exact model number before assuming a charger or battery from another knife will fit.

Blade technology has moved as well. The Pro Series Cordless Electric Fillet Knife Gen 2 updated its blade assortment to include two E-Glide blades with slightly less aggressive teeth, which suits anglers who want more control on softer-fleshed fish. Details are on the BUBBA Gen 2 Pro Series product page, which also confirms the E-Glide change.

FAQs

Can You Fillet a Fish Without Removing the Ribs First?

Yes, and that is the standard order with an electric knife. Cut the fillet free along the backbone and lateral line first, then flip it skin-side down and use the blade tip to lift the rib cage out of the meat. Trying to cut around the ribs while the fillet is still attached makes the cut harder to control.

Why Do the Blades Stop When You Squeeze the Trigger?

The safety lock is the usual suspect. On at least one cordless BUBBA model, the trigger will not run until the lock is released, so check that first. If the lock is already open, reseat the blades and confirm the battery pack is fully clicked into the handle before assuming a fault.

Do You Need a Different Blade for Bigger Fish?

Blade length should scale with the fish. BUBBA’s kits pair shorter 7-inch E-Flex blades with longer 9-inch and 12-inch E-Stiff blades, and the longer, stiffer blades hold a straighter line through the thick spine of a large fish. On a panfish, a 12-inch blade gives up more control than it adds.