What it is The Hareline Hopper Wing Cutter is a bench tool for punching out hopper-style wings with a built-in taper. It’s built with double-edge steel blades set into a hardwood body, so it cuts cleanly and holds up to a lot of use. What to tie with it Use it to shape and cut tapered hopper wings from sheet materials you’d normally cut into wing blanks, then set on the hook as a wing or back. It’s a fast way to get repeatable wing shapes without freehand trimming, especially when you want the tip and taper to match from fly to fly. Flies and the fish they're for This cutter is for hopper patterns in general, where a tapered wing is part of the profile. Those flies are staples for trout on late-summer rivers and meadow streams, and they also see plenty of use for panfish and small bass when terrestrials are getting eaten tight to the bank. Even when you’re doing a “quick and easy” hopper, having consistent wings helps the fly track right and keeps the silhouette hopper-like across a whole batch.
