Looking for a new knife. Got a suggestion?

I lost my folding knife.  I kept it tethered to a large fishing float and it all fit so nicely in the side pocket of the Revo that I didn't see it when I decided to practice self rescue.  The twine broke and I donated a Benchmade to the lake.

It was not my PFD knife.  It was the folding everything-else knife, and I'm not paying that much to replace it.

What do you use in the saltwater?  I'd like to find a less costly replacement but one I don't need to fuss over all the time to keep it from rusting.

Does it have to be a folder?
What size blade?
Would a cheap Frabill/Rapala/ whom ever else bait knife work?
For sure my primary requirement would be a rubberized handle of some type. 

Victorinox 4" serated bait knife. Crazy sharp. Cheap. Stainless. Small enough to be out if the water big enough to do everything an on the water to do. 

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Home Depot had a two pack of folding coast knives for $7.  I almost bought them but didn't need a knife.  They said the blade was stainless and it was about 3.5" partial serrated and partial straight blade.

I personally like a dexter 4" bait knife- it might be called a net knife. Wicked sharp, great for gilling and gutting. Has a plastic scabbard.

How about a typical bait knife secured to the hull via a Holdzit mount? 
   

How about this floating handle knife.  I bought one at Kmart for $10 on sale (regular $20).  Seems well made for the price.  Stiff blade and sharpened up nice.  Has a strong steel belt clip on the side.  Handle end is red so easy to spot if you drop it overboard.  Good plastic sheath with hole at end for drainage. 
https://www.amazon.com/Floating-Knife-Fillet-with-Sheath/dp/B003CU7Y0E/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1483417042&sr=8-5&keywords=Danielson+bait+knife

How about a typical bait knife secured to the hull via a Holdzit mount?

Eureka!  I had the folding knife long before I had a kayak and to be honest, I hadn't thought about replacing it with a fixed-blade knife.  Probably because doing that wouldn't be complicated enough... and I do seem to lean towards complicating the simplest things.  Was blind and now I see.  Thanks!

I personally like a dexter 4" bait knife- it might be called a net knife. Wicked sharp, great for gilling and gutting. Has a plastic scabbard.

Thank you, Barb.  I'll probably find one of these and get a Holdzit mount for the day I donate the plastic scabbard to the sea.

Victorinox 4" serated bait knife. Crazy sharp. Cheap. Stainless. Small enough to be out if the water [sic] big enough to do everything an on the water to do. 

Thank you for another great suggestion!  It was a toss-up between the Dexter and this Victorinox, but I have a personal preference for Dexter's thicker Grip handle over the Victorinox Fibrox handle.

How about this floating handle knife.  https://www.amazon.com/Floating-Knife-Fillet-with-Sheath/dp/B003CU7Y0E/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1483417042&sr=8-5&keywords=Danielson+bait+knife

Another good one, but I wanted a shorter blade - like those on most folders.  The 4" blades on the bait knives are about as long as I want to go, but a floating knife is interesting.  Thank you!

I personally like a dexter 4" bait knife- it might be called a net knife. Wicked sharp, great for gilling and gutting. Has a plastic scabbard.

This Dexter is 3.25" but I think they look the same.  I bought it for plug cuts but use it for everything other than fillet work.  Great little knife for $5.

Spyderco makes some small lightweight marine knives that use H1 stainless steel.  I've had one for 2 or 3 years and it shows no sign of rust. Pretty sure it didn't get rinsed on several salt water trips too.

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I have the 6.1" version of Mora's fishing knife.  The 3.5" would probably be a better fit for how I use it on the boat.  Mora makes great knives for not a lot of money. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007C1OXA8/ref=twister_B00ETB6Z82?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

This Dexter is 3.25" but I think they look the same.  I bought it for plug cuts but use it for everything other than fillet work.  Great little knife for $5.

I like the steel used Dexter knives as much as the Victorimox blades.  I'm interested in the 4" "net" knife because of the large finger protector at the hilt, but having serrations along the full length of the blade, like yours, would be an advantage.

Spyderco makes some small lightweight marine knives that use H1 stainless steel.  I've had one for 2 or 3 years and it shows no sign of rust. Pretty sure it didn't get rinsed on several salt water trips too.

Thanks, Lee!  Spyderco's H1 steel sounds great - and now I have a review I can trust - but since I've proven to be a klutz with a Benchmade H20, I'm shying away from knives that cost much more than $20 for now.  The Spyderco knives would be a great choice for those who aren't prone to losing gear in deep water...

I have the 6.1" version of Mora's fishing knife.  The 3.5" would probably be a better fit for how I use it on the boat.  Mora makes great knives for not a lot of money. 

Thanks for reminding me.  I keep a Mora Companion lashed in the milk crate as a backup to the backup.  It gets splashed all the time, and the blade has held up to it extremely well with nothing more than a quick rinse and an occasional wipe with oil.  They're pretty light in weight for their size, and have a great, grippy handle.  I think I skipped past the 3.5" blade because I think the 6-inch version is over-priced.

They make a 3.6" knife with a serrated blade, called the Rope, that might work better for me:

https://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Craftline-Serrated-Sandvik-Stainless/dp/B00TBF48XK