®
Please note: We no longer have a relationship with the Montana Fly Company. If the packaging included with your purchase does not say "manufactured by River Road Creations, Inc.," you have not purchased a product made by us. More information is available here.
We want you to be completely satisfied. Please e-mail us, or give us a call if you have any questions or issues. Together, we can come up with a solution.
We stand behind every single cutter that we manufacture and you can always expect prompt and courteous service.
Until we get to hear
from you directly, here is some information, we hope you find helpful...
You can also
find helpful information on our
Facebook page - our
visitor often post really interesting and useful information. And
you can always post a question there as well.
-
What is that white rubber pad for that came with my cutter order?
-
How long will it be before the blades in your cutters wear out?
-
Your Capt. Joe Blados' Crease Fly Popper Cutter isn't the same size and shape that I am used to.
-
How long does it take for you to ship my order, once I place an order?
-
I lost the instructions that came with my cutter set. How can I get another copy?
-
Do you have a catalog? Can you send me a catalog of your products?
-
I bought some cutters that I thought were yours, but they look different. Can you help me out?
-
I have tying and other miscellaneous questions. Do you have any pre-printed information to help me?
The white cutting pad that comers with your cutter is required to use your cutter - to ensure that it lasts for many, many uses, as well as to protect damage to work surface. Each River Road Creations cutter must be used with the pad provided, or a replacement pad for proper use.
-
With the exception of our STP Frog® pattern and Kent Edmond's Stealth Bomber Popper/Diver cutter, our cutters have been sized using Mustad® hook charts - including the Capt. Joe Blados' Crease Fly Popper cutter.
- The STP Frog® cutters have been sized using Tiemco® 8089 hooks.
- Kent Edmond's Stealth Bomber Popper/Diver cutters have been sized based on Kent's design, using:
- Size 10 Mustad 94840 (smallest),
- Size 6 Gamakatsu B10S, and
- Size 2 Gamakatsu B10S (largest). - Your Capt. Joe
Blados' Crease Fly Popper Cutter isn't the same size and shape that I am used
to.
With the first publication of Capt. Joe's crease flies tyers have been experimenting with this very effective pattern. As with many popular patterns, tyers have intentionally and unintentionally adapted shapes and sizes to best suit their needs. Those sizes and shapes then become the "standard" in that area. We worked directly with Capt. Joe on the sizes and shapes for our cutters - we used his templates to design our cutters and he ultimately "blessed" the final results. If you notice a slight difference in shape or think the sizing is "off" you can certainly use hooks that are one size larger or smaller to give you the effect that you are used to tying.
- I'm not ready to
buy your crease fly cutters yet, but I've heard that Capt. Joe Blados makes
kits that include everything needed to tie these flies. Where can I get
a kit?
Capt. Joe has great crease fly kits. You can get them at The Bear's Den.
- How long will it be before the blades
in your cutters wear out?
We have customers who have cut over 2,500 wings or bodies with a single cutter and the cutter continues to perform as designed. One production-tyer customer has only replaced his custom cutter once in about 18 months. He hasn't told us how many wings he managed to cut before he decided to order a new cutter. We assume it was a lot.
Unsolicited update on this question:
Hello, Tony. I have a damsel cutter from you that I have cut over 4,000 bodies with - and am still using. You replaced my original cutter when it bent and the replacement now has over 4,000 bodies cut - great product!
Richard P.
Littleton, Colorado - If a blade in
one of your cutters wears out, can it be sharpened? Can you replace the handle
with a new blade?
It is not possible to sharpen our cutters or replace the blades. Based on our own tying experience and that of customers so far, we believe that you will be more than satisfied with the durability and life of each cutter we make. Don't hesitate to contact us if you have questions.
- I dropped one of your cutters on my
tying floor and it doesn't cut as well as it did before. What is the problem?
When a cutter blade comes into contact with a hard surface such as a floor, you will get chips or blade distortion and unfortunately there is nothing that can be done to repair the cutter. It took us only a few accidental drops in our manufacturing facility (and a few discarded cutters) before we installed some carpeting in our own "drop zones." The good news is that if you only dropped one cutter from a set, you can order a single cutter, rather than having to replace an entire wing or body cutter set.
- I have been using a small hammer to "tap" out my wings and now my wings don't look the same. How can I fix this?
Using a hammer of any sort will result in irreparable blade distortion. The blade material cannot withstand that type of shock.
If you need some assistance in cutting, an arbor press works great. It delivers slow, constant pressure - much like your own hand. You can find arbor presses at your local hardware store.
Unfortunately the only solution at this point is to order a new cutter. Our cutters should only be used on the cutting pad we provide. In the future, however, we do carry replacement cutting pads for sets and individual cutters. If you lose another cutting pad, you can order a new one before your cutter gets damaged.
Nothing is wrong. Our quality control involves testing 100% of our foam body cutters on a single sheet of 2 or 3 mm foam and we guarantee that the cutter you receive will easily cut a 3 mm piece of foam. In practice, most of our foam body cutters will easily cut through 2 layers, and many of our customers report being able to easily cut through 3 layers of foam. However, if we routinely set the blades to do this for all of our patterns, stability can be lost and the blades may become distorted. If there is a specific cutter that you need for deeper cutting depths, please contact us, and we will see if it is possible to work out a solution for you.
This process usually starts with a phone call or e-mail to discuss your plans. After that you can submit your design with sizing information via e-mail or regular mail - whatever is easiest for you, as long as we receive specific dimensions. A hand-drawn pattern or samples cut of foam or paper should work just fine. We will make sure that your design is possible within the physical constraints of the materials with which we work. We will give you a pricing estimate based on the amount of material required and the time needed to complete your pattern.
We keep all designs on file and that design is only available to you. Should you wish to alter your design at a future point, your original design is on file for you to use. We will not knowingly share your designs with other customers. We cannot be responsible for your design once you publish your pattern in print or electronic media.
We also accept MasterCard, Visa and American Express, as well as personal checks and money orders. Simply give us a call to place your order.
PayPal has updated its policies and no longer requires that you set up an account for purchases. At checkout choose the option NOT to open a PayPal account.
You can also purchase our cutters through many retailers who carry Hareline Dubbin products including, but not limited to:
Doug Swisher Fly Fishing www.dougswisher.com
The Bear's Den www.bearsden.com
Bear Lodge Angler www.bearlodgeangler.com
Feather Craft Fly Fishing www.feather-craft.com
Badger Creek Fly Tying www.eflytyer.com
Madison River Fishing Company http://www.mrfc.com/MadisonRiverMontanaFishing/Default.aspx
The Kingfisher http://www.kingfisherflyshop.com/
J. Stockard Fly Fishing www.jsflyfishing.com
Try using search terms such as wing cutter or foam body cutter or look under tying tools
Many individual fly shops also carry our cutters. Ask your local retailer to order the wing or foam body cutter that is of interest when they place their next order with Hareline Dubbin, Inc.
Superfly International, Inc. distributes our wing and foam body cutters in Canada. We hope this will make shopping quicker and easier for our Canadian customers and potential customers. The link to Superfly dealers is: http://www.superfly.ca/dealers/.
We also have distributors in Europe. In Europe, Ritt-Mailing may be able to assist you in procuring our products. You may contact them at: http://www.ritt-mailing.com/
We use U.S. Priority Mail for shipping. Shipping rates are automatically calculated when you go through the PayPay checkout process. They reflect the average cost of shipping based on US Postal Service Rates.
There are plenty of excellent sources for your tying needs. Here are a couple to get you started and who have offered us excellent customer service either in person or via the Internet.
Doug Swisher Fly Fishing www.dougswisher.com
Check out the "Twister System" to create exciting new patterns by mixing dozens of tying materials: natural dubbing, synthetic hairs, flash enhancers, feathers, rubber, etc. - limited only by your imagination. Get on Doug's e-mail list and receive notices of his great monthly specials.
The Kingfisher Fly Shop www.kingfisherflyshop.com
The Bear's Den www.bearsden.com
Bear Lodge Angler www.bearlodgeangler.com
Feather Craft Fly Fishing www.feather-craft.com
Badger Creek Fly Tying www.eflytyer.com
J. Stockard Fly Fishing www.jsflyfishing.com
Our standard mayfly wing cutter will do this for you. Fold the wing material that you want to cut in half. Position the open end of the mayfly wing cutter over the fold - allowing you the appropriate amount of spacing needed between the wings. Unfold and you will have "spent wings" ready for tying.
We ship orders as quickly as possible, generally within 5 business days of receipt. In many cases we ship the same or next day.
We do our best to send you e-mail notification of receipt of your order as well as shipment of your order. Because this is a manual process for us, we prioritize work on orders ahead of work on e-mails. Sometimes you may receive notification that your order has shipped on the same day that you receive your order. We appreciate your understanding about this.
It is possible to cut Web Wing® using our cutters, especially if you place a piece of 2 or 3mm craft foam between the Web Wing® and the cutting pad provided with your cutter. HOWEVER, the durability/useful life of the cutter will be considerably reduced, if used to cut Web Wing®. Therefore, we recommend that you continue to use scissors for cutting Web Wing® material, unless you are willing to accept the fact that your cutter may not last as long as if it is used on other wing materials.
You can open and print another copy here: Cutter Instructions
If you lost your instructions for tying with the Krebs' Popper jigs, you can get additional copies here:
Krebs' Popper Jigs for Saltwater and Bass
Krebs' Popper Jigs for Bass and Panfish
If you need instructions for tying Tomsu's Supreme Hopper, here they are: Tying Tomsu's Supreme Hopper
Instructions for tying the STP Frog® fly can be found here
Tying instructions using Kent Edmond's Stealth Bomber Popper/Diver cutters are available herePlease note that you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open these files. If you do not have it, you can get it from there website using this link:
We do not print a catalog, but are happy to provide you with information that you might want in a catalog. Please feel free to print any or all of the information. (You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open these files.)
Tomsu's Supreme Hopper™ fly is available from Doug Swisher Fly Fishing at http://dougswisher.com/dry_flies.htm Scroll down to almost the bottom of the page.
While supplies last, the STP Frog® can be purchased on our website: STP Frog Fly
About River Road
Creations' cutters:
*
100% of all cutters are
quality tested before leaving our shop - they will cut foam and
many wing sheet materials or they go in the trash!
*
100% of the blades in River
Road Creation's cutters are shaped by Tony, so you know they are correct
*
The wood used in River Road
Creations' cutters is vertical grain fir, purchased from US lumber yards
with colors ranging from honey-blonde to light reddish-brown.
*
Before releasing any new
patterns, River Road Creations ensures extensive testing throughout the
US to verify that our patterns demonstrate consistent properties to
allow you to catch fish. Not only do our cutters allow you to tie flies
that consistently look great and save tying time, they are proven to
catch fish!
*
click here
pictures of our packaging and more information
You can always contact us by
phone (406.777.1046) or
email (tony@riverroadcreations.com)
for any questions you may have.
River Road Creations,
Inc.
We post useful information on our Facebook page. Our Facebook
visitors post really great photos and useful information too.
These are a few tying tips requested by other tyers:
There also may be
information in
Tony's Tying Gallery that can help.