Having fished professionally for many years, I’ve literally cleaned or filleted ten’s of thousands of pounds of fish. Ending a successful trip at the fish cleaning table and admiring your catch is an excellent feeling. Unfortunately for most, the fun stops there. The task of filleting fish usually involves a low budget fish filet table that is inadequate for the task. Even if you’re lucky enough to be at a dock with a fish cleaning station, that fish cleaning table is usually wooden and has been cracked, splintered and warped. The remnants of the last anglers catch are typically left in all of the cracks and crevasses leaving you with a smell and questionable health standards for your pristine fresh filets. All this leads to an ending to your day that is less than desirable.
“There are some inherent flaws in almost every fish cleaning table I see. Number one, the fish cleaning station doesn’t drain correctly and it pools the slime, guts, blood, and other nasties that working up a bunch of filets can produce.”
The fish cleaning table is usually built over the dock, which means even if the table has slots or drains, the scales and undesirables typically end up on the dock and on the top of your feet underneath the table. The the second problem is the fish cleaning table is typically composed in some manner by wood. This causes a whole host of problems from warping, cracking, and eventual rebuilding or replacement to the absorption of the nasty stuff, leading to smell and bacteria. Third is the heat. In the south, some of the best fishing of the year happens concurrent with some of the brightest sun and warmest temperatures. Most fish cleaning stations lack shade and protection. Last, and I’ll probably get flamed for this, is appearance. Like it or not, what you have on your dock is a direct reflection of the home you live in. Having a beautiful fish cleaning table is certainly not a necessity, but does it hurt?
Recently I was approached by a company out of Mobile, Alabama, Killerdock, and asked to stop into their facility and take a look at a new fish cleaning station they were going to launch. The father and sons team of Brian, Aaron, and Jay Williamson are crafting fish cleaning tables that have solved all of the inherent problems with fish filet tables. Below is an overview of their manufacturing process, and how they intend to, as they put it, “make fish cleaning great again”.
Problem 1 – Rotten, Warped, and Cracking Wood
Killerdock using only marine grade aluminum to construct their fish cleaning tables. What this means is that this fish filet table is impervious to corrosion, rotting, cracking, and warping that most wooden tables experience. While this should be enough for a lifetime of service, Killerdock also coats their tables with SG Marine MetalJacket XL Ceramic-Hybrid Coating, insuring even more protection.
Problem 2 – Improper Drainage
Whether it’s the pooling of fish goo or the draining of it back onto your dock or onto your feet, Killerdock has patented a draining system than channels fish horrible through the legs of the fish filet table itself. The fish disgusting is transmitted directly into the water where it belongs. This is accomplished through an ingenious design that mounts to your dock’s outer joist, meaning the table surface is actually over the water, not over your dock. In addition to this, the table has a slight negative slope, which means the table is ever so slightly sloping a away from you, aiding in moving the fish offensive to the drain system. What’s the result? After recently scaling and filleting some really tough Sheepshead, where I would have normally had my belly covered in slime from the table, you could literally not tell I had just cleaned a bunch of fish. There was no slime or scales on me or the dock.
The “Upscale” Version with patented drain system.
Problem 3 – Heat
I love getting sunburned, in fact I really enjoy when it’s so hot that my beer gets warm in between filleting fish said no one ever. The problem here is shade. Most guys are cleaning fish on an open fish filet table with a blistering sun over head. Killerdock has you covered here too. Available in addition to their fish cleaning table is an all aluminum canopy outfitted with SolaMesh® Shade Sail Fabric which has a 10 year warranty. While recently cleaning cobia in the blazing September sun, we found the canopy brings the felt temperature down 15 degrees or so. No, it doesn’t actually lower the air temperature, that would make this fish cleaning table God, but it reduces the radiant heat from the sun which makes you feel much cooler.
The Slam version with A sun blocking canopy.
Problem 4 – Appearance
Let’s face it, most fish cleaning tables are tucked out of the way somewhere, out of sight for guests and passers by. If it’s not tucked out of the way, the fish filet table is an eyesore. There’s just nothing aesthetically pleasing about them. Looking at a Killerdock, you see clean lines and form that you can be proud of. The fish cleaning table can function as, a table, since your first thought isn’t that filleting fish is it’s only purpose. The SolaMesh® Shade Sail Fabric is available in 19 different colors and can be customized for any scheme you’ve got going on.
The Canopy SolaMesh Fabric has 19 color options.
Most guys and gals are happy to wash the boat, load the vehicles, get dinner ready, or do just about anything else they can to avoid cleaning fish. It’s always cracked me up that folks will take out a boat that costs ten’s and even hundreds of thousands of dollars, then come back to the dock and clean their fish on something that looks like it was constructed with storm debris. Speaking of storms, Killerdock has a wind rating of 150 mph. So even though the table is simple and easy to remove from your dock in just a few minutes, If you get hit with an unexpected gale, it’s most likely still going to be there.
Fish Cleaning Tables made in America.
Killerdock is making products in America, with quality materials, built to last. Isn’t that what we always complain we never see anymore? They’re solving problems and building fish cleaning stations that will last a lifetime. Make your fish cleaning station great again and contact them when you’re ready to enhance your dock into something more than just a means to end.
