Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Fish Cleaning Table
If you fish regularly, you know how important it is to have a safe, secure, and stable place to clean your fish. Investing in a high-quality table that won’t warp in the sun or rust in elements is a smart call but how do you know which fish station is the right one for your boat or dock? Don’t worry, our buyer’s guide covers all of the important things to consider to help you make the best choice.
1) Material and Durability
The ocean air is tough on just about everything, and since your fish cleaning table is going to spend a lot of time in it, you want to look for quality material that can stand up to the test. Look for fish stations constructed from stainless steel which is resistant to rusting or UV stabilized, compression molded high-density polyethylene that is virtually indestructible. High-density polyethylene will not crack, peel, mildew, absorb bacteria or fish odors making it our top choice for fillet tables.
2) Portability
Consider where and how you’ll want to use the table. Prefer to ice your fish and clean them once you dock? A dock mounted fillet table is the best option. Prefer to bleed them and clean them right away? A boat mounted table is the way to go. Boat mounted options are generally easy to remove if you want to store them when not in use.
3) Size
Then there’s size to consider. If you’re typically fishing for smaller fish like flounder or trout, smaller fish cleaning stations around 20 inches would work great, but if you’re deep sea fishing for large fish, you’ll want a fish station that can accommodate your catch. We have tables that range from 12” up to 51”.
4) Drainage
Adequate overwater drainage is often overlooked. Look for a fish cleaning table that gets mounted overwater with a full length slotted drainage opening along the back side of the table and drainage holes in the base to prevent water build up and keep your workspace clean. When mounting your table, be sure to angle it back slightly so that any waste flows down to the drainage rather than onto your boat or shoes.
5) Ease of cleaning
After a long day on the water, the last thing you want to do is a difficult clean up job. Look for a fish cleaning station without a lot of attachments and crevices that can be difficult to get really clean without significant disassembly. The best fillet table washes up well with a good spray from a jet nozzle on your hose.
6) Additional Features
Once you’ve got the basics checked off, there are some nice features to look out for that we promise you won’t know how you lived without before.
Built-In Ruler - Ditch the masking tape along the rail, the tape measure you can’t stop misplacing, or that old yard stick with markings you can barely read anymore. When you opt for a fish cleaning table with an engraved ruler, you’ll never have to guess again if your catch is regulation size.
Tool Slots - Built in tool holders for your pliers and knives keep you safe, and prevent you from losing track of your tools. If you’re the type of person who easily loses track of your belongings you’ll love having a dedicated space for each of your filleting tools.
Our Top Picks
Best Boat Mounted Fish Cleaning Table
Bait/Fillet Mate Table with LeveLock® Mount
The Magma Bait/Fillet Mate Table with LeveLock® Mount is one of the best boat mounted fish cleaning stations out there. It has all of the basics you need and the bonus features you want. Plus, with the LeveLock Mount, you can easily adjust the table to any angle for comfortable filleting.
Best Dock Mounted Fish Cleaning Table
Dock Cleaning Station with Mount
The Magma Dock Mounted Cleaning Station is 47-1/2" long and is equipped with a 1-1/2” tubular Stainless Steel base for mounting to a dock or any flat surface. With so much working space, cleaning fish becomes a chore you won’t mind doing.
Want to see more great options? Shop all Magma fish cleaning tables.