I discovered recently that the venerable French maker of knives, Opinel, offers a model with trout engraved on an oak handle. Opinel has made simple, folding knives, in a variety of numbered sizes, for over 100 years. Despite their continued popularity and the fact that they are still made in France, Opinel knives remain very affordable to the working people for whom they were originally intended.
Today, Opinel knives are popular enough among outdoors persons that Patagonia sells them along with its own products. Patagonia describes the Opinel No. 8 that they offer, online, they describe their Opinel No. 8:
If we made knives, this is the one we’d want to make. The Opinel folding knife, with its clean, simple design and remarkable utility, has been prized by adventurers, artists and chefs for more than 100 years. This modern version of the classic Opinel No8 features a 3-1/4” stainless steel blade and beautiful olive-wood handle. It fits easily in a pocket, but also comes with a leather belt sheath for easier access. Packaged in a wooden, slide-top box.
You can read about the Opinel No. 8, oak-handled “trout” knife, available directly (and much less expensively) from Opinel, at their website. You will notice that they offer custom engraving. When ordering one, I could not resist making use of this service. It has been a handy companion during my time beyond the paved world.
The Literary Fly Fisher 
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