WWII survival kit mystery fly?

[@edpeter9411]

I think WAR HERO might be a fitting name. What a great story, thanks for sharing. But most of all, thanks to the Greatest Generation for their sacrifice and contribution to our country.

[@SavageFlies]

I agree Ed; we definitely owe a debt to the heroes of that era.

[@RT42069]

I was also thinking the Liberator would be a good name (B-24).

[@MayheM_72]

My 3 grandfather's (Dad's father, Mom's father, and her step father) were all WW2 vets, though none were aviators. My Dad's father was in the Coast Guard in the Atlantic, and when the war broke out, he was transferred to the Navy and shipped out on a LST in the Pacific. He grew up fishing in South Carolina, and when he came up to Cape May, NJ for Coast Guard training, he met my grandmother. He was a avid fisherman, and was intimately tied to the water as long as he was physically able. I could see him using this fly, or one very much like it. Thanks again for the awesome history lesson along with the tying tutorial! (And thank you again for your service, as well as your wife's service!)

[@SavageFlies]

Thank you; I appreciate the kind words! It sounds like you had some noteworthy grandparents too. It's always cool to hear about, and hear stories from that generation. I never knew either of my grandfathers but one of them was also a WWII veteran.

[@toddslichter7831]

Great back story, Matt...thanks for sharing. And thank you to all of our Service members, those that are still with us as well and those that sacrificed their all. Have a great weekend.

[@SavageFlies]

Great comment Todd and I second that salute. You have a great weekend too my friend. :-)

[@chasselynch5733]

Hi Matt Jim's friend here ,I still like the fly still tie and fish them ,it has everything to convince a hungry trout to bite

[@jimholland1592]

Wow Matt! Good morning ☕️☕️ That was an incredible history lesson this morning. And I could tell that you were in your element. And when you said they probably pulled out this guy I almost lost it. Thanks to all the men and women that gave it all for my freedom. In NC 28° and snow, a fly that my have save some lives 👍 thanks and nice wing set👍👍

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Jim! And I agree, we definitely owe a debt of gratitude to these heroes. My grandfather was a WWII veteran (the one I'm named after) but he died before I was born so I never knew him. But I've seen pictures and heard some stories. Thanks for the note. Stay warm my friend!

[@edwardmlotkiewicz2343]

Great back story. As a veteran and the son of a WWII vet; I found it interesting.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Ed! Appreciate the note my friend. :-)

[@Jd-yc3gw]

Good morning Matt. ☕️ time with your video. Quite the history behind this fly. I’ve never seen kits like you were showing or the fly. Really enjoyed todays video. Rest of the coffee crew seems to be missing so far this morning.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks John! It looks like only Jim and Karl were up before you. :-) I was up pretty late on this one so I ended up sleeping in myself today. Now off to tend some critters. :-)

[@lewisward4359]

Thanks for the history. That box and "replicas" should be in a few WW2 military museums and Fly Fishing museums.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Lewis. I agree, and I appreciate the note my friend. :-)

[@diecastrejuvenation7779]

Great historic fly! I go and spend the day every so often with my 30 year military retired father-in-law. He started his career in the Air Force in the Korean War. I'm going to show him this video and tie up a couple to put with all his military memorabilia. I think he'll get a kick out of it.

[@SavageFlies]

Cool Troy! Thanks for sharing that. I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@artostrom917]

Hi Matt, this one is going in my favorites list. Thanks for the great story and have nice weekend.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Art! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@Laxcodyj]

I love old vintage fly patterns... I will be adding this in to my collection. I hope to see the other three!! Chears and good luck.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Cody! I haven't gotten to them yet but they're still on my to-do list. :-)

[@michaeljmckinnon2960]

awesome...being a Veteran I found this a very interesting historical story and a simple fly that would no doubt catch fish anywhere. Thanks for sharing.

[@SavageFlies]

You're welcome Michael; and thanks for your service my friend.

[@tdaddy510]

Thank you for the background story and context of the fly. I find any army air corps stories interesting as a current army aviator 😎

[@SavageFlies]

You're welcome Tatum. Thank you for your service and I appreciate you watching my friend!

[@stevetrybalski3082]

Good morning Matt! Great morning coffee fly and back story. Would love to see that whole fishing kit. I have tied up something similar for one of my son's friend . It was to replace a fly that his great grandfather had tied. Only difference was that the body colors. Back third was black and front third was yellow. Has a great day.

[@martyrothman3933]

Yes I agree he has to do it video on the whole kit

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Steve! I'll make sure to show the other flies in a future video. They're quite boring and plain though... this red and olive one was the only one with any flair to it. :-)

[@jakemay16]

Have these been in a video yet?

[@stevetrybalski3082]

@@jakemay16 Not that I know of.

[@karljones6594]

Good morning my friend. Matt love how you come up with these vintage flies. Love the history on the fly. I will be proudly tying a few of these fot the fly box. I will be fishing these on Memorial Day and VE Day in there honor. Have a great weekend and stay safe.

[@SavageFlies]

I appreciate that Karl, and you too my friend!

[@Wyamike734]

Thank you to all of the service men and women that have gone before us and to those that are still with us. Matt thank you for the introduction to this fly and your families military service . It does make you wonder how many military personnel had looked at the fly and had to use it. I will tie a few of these to honor those who were placed in various situation’s where they had to use it. Thank you again to all that have served! Thank you Matt!

[@SavageFlies]

I appreciate it Mike and I second your sentiment. We do owe a debt of gratitude to the heroes of that era. Thanks for the note my friend!

[@johnkissam8312]

The strike was over the Ploiesti oil complex in Romania. My uncle was also a tail gunner. He was one of the many who were killed when his plane went down. May 31, 1944

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks for the note John, and sorry to hear about your uncle. Lots of heroes didn't make it back that day. Take care my friend.

[@JamesMcCutcheon]

The military still uses a Similar Survival Kit today during training for Marines when they put you into the field and give you several days to survive and find your way back to base. These old flies are amazing. Thanks for the great history. I never knew about the Pilots incredible.

[@SavageFlies]

Thank you Jim! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@chevyguy6510]

I love the background story on this one Matt. Reminds me of the stories my Grandpa told me. He was a bombardier in WW2 and was a great fisherman as well. But, far as I know, he never fly fished. Great video! :)

[@russelllieser4226]

10p% agree.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Todd! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@jamesyates5191]

Awesome that you would take the time to tell the story of these very brave airmen. We owe so much for their sacrifice. We could call this a WW2 Stimulator.

[@SavageFlies]

Yes! Someone else mentioned the Liberator. I liked that too. :-)

[@ybarrajc]

Thanks Matt, that’s really cool history have a great day

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@crowdaddy8355]

Wonderful back story. I have always been interested in WWII history. My grandfather help liberate Dachau concentration camp just outside of Munich. Thanks Matt. Cool fly.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Chad! And cool story. Lots of heroes in that generation. Men the likes of we'll never see again as so much of how our military operates these days is very different from back then. Have a great weekend my friend!

[@bigdaddy99929]

Terrific history though sad. Thank you for this story. Bless all our vets and current military personnel. Cool little fly. I just might call it the Liberator as a reminder of this history. Thx again Matt!

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Clyde! Appreciate the note my friend. :-) That would be a cool name for it!

[@davehall2160]

Now that was a great history story about this fly Matt and a very cool looking fly Thanks for the video

[@SavageFlies]

You're most welcome Dave. It was a pretty special one to make. I've been sitting on these flies for over a year now and just wasn't sure how to make the video of it until now.

[@harryjoesather6539]

great find matt and awesome story thanks for sharing and cool little fly. have a awesome weekend. see ya joe. and as always i will be watching.. peace

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Joe! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@lorawinfrey9112]

That was a really nice military story and a nice looking fly

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Lora! Appreciate the note my friend. :-)

[@RyanAshley419]

I remember my grandfather telling me about the issued flies they got when he was flying a C-47 in Korea. They were still a thing...Not sure if it was the same kits you are talking about or something else by the Korean War. I remember him saying the chenille was not real good and they would rip out some of lining of surplus army drab coats, which was basically the same stuff for a better chenille. They always had extra surplus on C-47s that they could cannibalize. Also, the wool army blankets would make great fuzz for dubbing. Weird story. My grandfather's plane got shot down over the sea of Japan. He survived but was out there floating for days before a rescue boat picked him up. He said he was using that kit to troll the water. Said he actually caught a few. I guess he ate it raw...Not sure how he would have cooked it, but I guess it was better than starving.

[@SavageFlies]

Wow Ryan, great story! I think this is the same kit what was used in the Korean War. I did read that the older ones for Navy lifeboats were in cans. I'd love to get my hands on one of those but they look to be pretty rare these days. And yeah, raw fish from a lifeboat does not sound like a fun way to survive but I'm sure you do what you have to do. Thanks for sharing his story. We certainly owe a debt of gratitude to these heroes of the era.

[@epsieblaine7968]

A historical fly,and you dug up a great story on it.This is going to be my first fly this morning.Not really fond of it,but the history makes it special.Hope you do the other three.These flies would be great hanging on the wall,with the history.Great job Matt, thumbs upon on this one.Do the other three.Have a great weekend my friend. Had to edit my comment. What color was the spoon in this kit,silver or gold.I'm betting it was the famous red red and white,the dare devil. Ken

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Ken. Yeah, I think this is a pretty universal fly type. Not sure if it ever had a name though. I'll show the other flies in a future video.

[@markcampbell2401]

Matt, I meant to post this the other day. My Grandfather was a tail gunner in a B-26 Marauder. I'm not sure how many missions they flew (a bunch), but know he survived being shot down multiple times. I'm sure this is just like the kit his crew carried. Thank you for such an incredible story and wonderful fly.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks brother! What a courageous and probably perilous time your grandfather must have had. My hat's definitely off to the men and women of that generation.

[@markcampbell2401]

@@SavageFlies Agree completely. They were a different breed.

[@gordonmiller4439]

Outstanding presentation, Matt. I'm with the others that would like to see the fishing kit in an additional video.

[@SavageFlies]

You got it Gordon! I'll put it on the to-do list. :-)

[@CBL138]

Nice fly and back story. Smooth jazz!

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it my friend!

[@workforit2270]

You showing this gave me chills. I can only imagine what it was for young men and a situation where that was there source to get food. And to know that you had one in your hand makes me wonder about the person that owned it. Thanks for sharing

[@laytonmarvin3790]

Awesome back story Matt and cool little fly. Thanks as always for sharing.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Layton! Appreciate the note my friend. :-)

[@discinwithuncledani7224]

Cool to think that even fly tyers of the era supported the war effort. Thanks for the vid Matt

[@SavageFlies]

You're welcome! Appreciate the note my friend. :-)

[@byronwhitsonwhitson7965]

I really love this story. My grandfather was a navigator on a liberator bomber in the war. He loved fly fishing and tying his own flies. He taught me how to fly fish. I never knew about the emergency fishing kit but it makes me smile because I could imagine him having that in is in his pocket saying well if something happens it won't be all that bad. Thank you for the history lesson. I was wondering is there any way you could do it series on all the flies that came with that pack? Thank you for everything you do Matt.

[@jamesvatter5729]

Neat fly...even better backstory! Thanks for sharing, Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Jim! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@jackreeves3001]

Best one yet Matt! Thanks for sharing your time and talent! KANSAS

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Jack! Appreciate the note my friend. :-)

[@jgirard5930]

Always enjoy the history behind it. Great story! Keep it up!

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks J! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@barbaraemerich1921]

Very cool and amazing back story! Thank you for sharing!!

[@SavageFlies]

You're most welcome Barbara! I always appreciate you watching. :-)

[@johnnylightning1491]

Matt, If you steam those flies they will regain more of their original shape. As for a pattern name I think it's the Army Christmas Fly (remember there was no Air Force yet, it was the Army Air Corps). Interesting pattern but I think it is definitely an attracter pattern. Keep the history lessons coming.

[@SavageFlies]

I agree, definitely a generic attractor pattern! Good tip on steaming the flattened flies. I just might have to do that if I make a video showing the other patterns as they were all squished pretty flat.

[@ronbrooks3219]

Great background story; fishing kit is amazing. Your videos are the best. Thanks for all the efforts. Regards, Ron

[@SavageFlies]

Thank you Ron! I always appreciate your support my friend. :-) Have a great weekend!

[@mikeney5113]

Very cool story on the history Matt.thanks as always for the pattern

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Mike! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@wd4477]

I like how you dug into the historical background for this fly. Nice and easy fly. Thanks for the great video sir. Keep 'em coming.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Wes! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@garrettswoodworx1873]

Videos like this one are a huge part of what makes this channel so great! I absolutely love the history behind the fly & hope someone actually comes up with more information on it. I'll be tying a few to fish on special days to honor the brave souls (like my dad) who've fought to protect the freedoms we so take for granted. Thanks Matt, have a great weekend.

[@SavageFlies]

Thank you Garrett! I appreciate the kind words. It certainly encourages me to keep going. :-)

[@dahutful]

what a great tribute, Matt. I knew about the kits, but this was the first fly Ive ever seen from one. thank you so MUCH

[@SavageFlies]

Thank you! This was a pretty special video to make. I appreciate the kind words my friend.

[@heyjim52]

Excellent find great back story and a cool looking fly.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks James! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@MyItalians]

What a history lesson. Enjoyed the story. Hope you will cover or at least share the rest of the flies in the box. Nice simple fly. Thank you, Matt

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Nich! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-) I'll try to show the other flies in an upcoming video. But they were actually kind of boring. This one was the only one with anything colorful in it.

[@MyItalians]

@@SavageFlies Matt, you may be right about the other flies. My thoughts are, they put together a survival kit. So my belief is that those flies worked, no matter what they looked like.

[@johnsamothrakis4621]

Great Video , love the history behind these flies, but the history of this fly is the best one 👍

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks John! Appreciate the note my friend. :-)

[@marshallbaldwin8960]

Such an awesome story and a neat fly. Thank you Sir Matt!

[@jeffreystone7327]

What an incredible history and background story. Amazing. Thank you for taking the time to share this one. Everyone of us should tie this one. If not to fish, just as a reminder of what so many went through. That provides us with our daily freedom that we may enjoy fishing. Total thanks and respect to all that have and are serving in our great military. Great looking fly Matt. Thank you Sir.

[@SavageFlies]

Thank you Jeff! We do indeed owe a debt of gratitude to these heroes. I appreciate the note my friend.

[@icefisher1171]

Amazing story. I dont know about anyone else, but I absolutely love the backstories of the flies you tie. And this was extra awesome. Thanks, Matt. Keep up the great work. Peace.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Kyle! Appreciate the note and kind words my friend. :-)

[@mountainclimber579]

Wonderful!! My FIL was a B17-er!! Great men, great sacrifice. Thank you

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks! Appreciate the note my friend. :-)

[@frankmonroe8320]

One of your best Matt. Thanks. Good to see it again.

[@SavageFlies]

Wow, thanks for bringing this one back up Frank. I hadn't watched this one in a long while, but I still like it too. :-)

[@martyrothman3933]

Well Matt that's the best story I've heard that was really amazing I never knew that you also tired of beautiful play thank you I know I'm asking a lot but I think it would be cool if you did a short video on the kit itself I never knew they existed it would be neat to see one thanks again and keep them coming

[@SavageFlies]

You got it Marty. Enough people have asked what else is in the kit I'll probably do a quick video of it soon.

[@FlyTyer1948]

I assume this fly didn’t show up in Forgotten Flies,” & I couldn’t find more on those survival kits. Since my town is right next to Medford, MA, I thought I might be able to find something on the Tracon Co., but no luck. I’ll bet the fly would work, at least for panfish & possibly for trout. Thanks for including the history. From the books I’ve read on WW II, the many air raids on the Ploesti, Romania oil fields had brutal losses, & the pilots who flew them deserve our utmost respect.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Bob and yes, that was a tough day for the Army Air Forces. I didn't know much about the raids into Romania until uncovering a bit of this while researching. Also, I think Tra-con was mainly an epoxy and adhesive manufacturer, but looks like they were later bought out or changed their name to Henkel Adhesives.

[@frankmonroe8320]

Nice lesson Matt! This fly is surprisingly similar to the first fly my uncle the WW2 flyer taught me to tie. It did catch fish.

[@SavageFlies]

Thank you Frank; that's really cool to hear. :-)

[@lockhackle2645]

That was very entertaining! I’d love to find one of those airmen survival kits.

[@SavageFlies]

Thank you! You can sometimes find them on Ebay, but the really old ones that came in cans are a lot harder to find.

[@zacjack]

Really cool pattern, and an even better intro / story. Nicely done!

[@SavageFlies]

Thank you Zac! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@robertsmith6504]

Great video Matt, I love it when there is a interesting background story to go with the fly

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Robert! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@Check-Your-Fly]

Neat background story and tie! Thanks for sharing !

[@SavageFlies]

You're welcome John; I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@mitchbain3338]

Great history lesson Matt alls we had was a few hooks line weights in a small Canadian survival tin. Got to look more into this now.😊

[@SavageFlies]

Thank you Mitch! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@cosmiccharlie8606]

Thank you for your time sir grate looking fly grate back story as well sir bet its good in red and white too

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Charlie! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-) And I agree, it would look good in red/white.

[@kennethpierce7304]

Great looking fly. I really enjoyed the history of the fly and of the Army Air Corp. More stories like that would be great.

[@SavageFlies]

You got it Kenneth! I'll try to keep mixing in some history when I can. :-)

[@johnhanley8708]

Very very cool historical story keep them coming Matt

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it John! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)

[@james-lt8ry]

Awesome backstory and video ! Lest we forget !!!!

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks James! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@peteyarrington582]

What a great presentation of some interesting history! I remember reading that during and after the war, the large influx of returning soldiers was a boon for tackle companies. The fly looks like a wet fly typical of ties from companies like Weber in that period. I wonder if the colors were meant to mimic the well-known and successful Royal Coachman, but in a fly that could be produced in high volumes and be sturdy ? Thanks Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Pete, that's quite possible! I was looking for the email you sent me last year as I couldn't remember the company you mentioned back then. Weber. Yes, it could quite possibly been one of theirs. But who knows is this was a Royal Coachman or not... it does have the old standard Coachman profile though so could be. I appreciate the note!

[@danielyost9126]

Thanks for the military info matt alway as interesting as fly tying

[@marksleeper9385]

Great fly and history Kudos on all your research

[@SavageFlies]

I appreciate it Mark. This was a fun one to research.

[@marksleeper9385]

@@SavageFlies your welcome

Great video and the story makes is just perfect! Good job Matt!

[@SavageFlies]

Well thank you Ivar! I appreciate you stopping by my friend. :-)

[@thomaswalls123]

I love the history of this fly and the box you found. Another great tie👍👍👍 On a side note, I found a good rotary vise nirvana rotary. Pre ordered it for 99 bucks. Looks like it will take over the 150 and under market

[@SavageFlies]

Whoa, this thing looks amazing! I'm definitely ordering this to do a review. Did you see all those color options? I hope this thing is as impressive as it looks. :-)

[@thomaswalls123]

@@SavageFlies I got it in lime green

[@edherrmann182]

I went back to this post in 2024. I tied a few way back when. I discovered they catch pan fish such as rock bass, sunfish and crappies. Never fished it for trout, but it wouldn’t surprise me that stocked rainbows would take it early in the season. Possibly backwater brookies would take one as well. Any way I was playing around with this fly and found it will catch fish. I do some fishing for backwater brookies and will try it. I’ll let you know if it works.

[@SavageFlies]

Well thank you Ed; I appreciate this great comment my friend! And I think you're spot on. Lots of fish will take a simple pattern like this and I can definitely see it being a panfish killer. :-)

[@joeduca8582]

Great story Matt! Great choice on the music! Sounded like Schroeder from Peanuts but with a WW2 era vibe. Outstanding job on that wing! I heard some kits had lead head jigs, a hand line makes sense as well as a spoon. If flies (attracter style) were included there must have been lead weights in your kit? Those types of flies are used today on trolling rigs for bass and walleye in a lake I fish, I snagged a rig while fishing there once. Pretty big flies, size #2 or #4, rigged tandem on heavy mono. Once I saw an older guy jigging with a hand line, probably with a bucktail jig or a spoon. I have some WW2 memorabilia my father brought back from his stint in the US Army. He was a sergeant stationed in Le Harve France and worked on a tender or launch servicing the big ships. I have a cool ashtray and a calendar or card holder made from 88 shells with German insignias on them as well as smaller caliber rounds. They're called trench art, look them up. Other cool stuff too, as well as stories he told me. Thanks Matt, this video was very special.

[@SavageFlies]

Great comment Joe! Re the music- yeah I just searched the royalty-free library on KZbin for something that sounded old and 1940s-ish. I'll try to do a video showing what all else is in this kit but there are definitely some weights, maybe some saltwater hooks, a couple spinners with the old standard red/white spoon lure. Cool story about your dad's time in Le Harve, France. I've been there once on a port visit on my first ship. Quiet a cool town in the 1990s. Probably a bit different in the 1940s though. Thanks for the note and have a great weekend!

[@joeduca8582]

@@SavageFlies Hey! Thumbed thru my latest and final issue of American Fly Fishing, Jan/Feb 2022. Hazel Creek, NC article featured the Fore and After dry fly you tied. Awesome dude! Fine delicate dry fly. Just the ticket for those mountain creeks they wrote about. They mentioned your channel as a a tier's source for classic Smokies patterns. 🤓👍

[@SavageFlies]

@@joeduca8582 No way! I get Eastern Fly Fishing (same publisher). I might need to subscribe to this one. 😁

[@joeduca8582]

@@SavageFlies Don't bother, no more Eastern. I HAD Eastern Fly Fishing but Shewing said they had to cut corners so they went back to the original American version last year. Blamed it on Covid. They had a couple of regional versions. Now they're published by Village Press who also does Pointing Dog, Retriever journals, and Just Labs that I jumped on when they sent me "feelers" in the mail years ago. Of course the sub prices on AFF went up. I'm not renewing, still a fine mag, too expensive for me at this time.

[@jeffjackson5331]

Very cool! Sweet looking fly

[@marksheridan9063]

Thank you so much for the history on the fly, the kit and especially talking about the men who carried them. Please speak about the other flies in the kit. I would like to know where you picked yp this kit as I would love to get one if affordable. Please keep creating these great videos Matt, especially the ones with history like this video. God bless and have a great weekend.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Mark; I appreciate the kind words my friend. I found this one at a flea market in western Maryland but there are similar ones from the Korean War and later on Ebay sometimes. I think the old Navy ones for lifeboats were in cans and quite a bit bigger than this thing. I'd love to get my hands on one of those but they seem to be quite rare.

[@marksheridan9063]

@@SavageFlies thank you. Have a great weekend.

[@cheflexx778]

Good morning Matt. Awesome back story on this fly. Really hits home with the military back story. Where did you get that kit?

[@SavageFlies]

I found this one at a flea market in western Maryland. The Navy had ones in cans in the 40s so I think this one was probably used more in the Korean War. I suppose the can ones were in life boats and the smaller ones were for pilots and crew.

[@jimgollach6202]

We got a double dose of excellent this morning. The story of the servicemen and the fly, so,so cool. My dad did 20 years in the army, he had a few stories. I say hats off to all our troops 👏. We do live in the greatest country in the world 🌎. You hit this one out of the park Matt. Thanks for sharing 👍. Matt, how do I get your email address?

[@SavageFlies]

Jim- thanks! My email is [e-mail]

[@jimgollach6202]

@@SavageFlies thanks Matt.

[@roberthudson4492]

Great review like always 👍

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Robert! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@jeffjones553]

Thanks Matt! Will we see the other patterns in future videos?

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Jeff! I probably won't tie the others (they were very plain and kind of boring) but I'll try to show them in a future video.

[@easttnflyfreak2870]

Awesome .Thanks Matt !!!!

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@leonardwells9613]

I knew a WW11 veteran who fished a very similar fly pattern which he referred to as a “PINK LADY”, this fly is nearly identical to his pattern. L 👍🎣👍

[@richarddavis8272]

That's really cool to attach a name to this fly. Thanks for that information.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Leonard! Cool story to hear. I've known a few flies called the Pink Lady though one was a Catskill dry fly and one was a streamer. I do wonder if anyone makes any pink chenille.

[@wayneandrews1278]

Great fly cool video

[@vrich3733]

Awesome vid Matt! Thank you!

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Rich! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@bobteeden2657]

Great story

[@ReedL101]

Great story. I'm hoping you'll report back if you try fishing the fly.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Reed! I definitely will if I have any luck with it. :-)

[@chasselynch5733]

What a interesting story !! What were the other flies in the the survival box?

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Chasse! I don't really know what they were. This red and olive one was the coolest looking. Here's a picture of the others: drive.google.com/file/d/1G9fH-cjFnmlmGSUlFdT5gw_1YiQSGFaD/view?usp=sharing

[@jack_batterson]

Now here's a fly that tells a story before it even gets wet.

[@yoopermann7942]

BORN of WAR this pattern should be called,, it looks like it would catch fish, in those sizes it should catch smaller sized fish, it looks like it would work great on the panfish family here in the u.s.,,,,, thank you for the history/story on this fly

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Yooper! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@Graham-1888]

Love your passion Matt, great research and stories that make it not just another fly. I'm guessing these flies were just general attractor types using what was available. I would be stripping them and using the hooks for bait, if I'm hungry I wouldn't fancy my chances getting fed using that 😅

[@SavageFlies]

Yes Graham, definitely a generic attractor pattern. And the other three in the kit were very nondescript, plain olive or black. But there were some plain bait hooks in it so if you were scrounging around in warm weather you might have some luck there. But in the winter time? Oh boy... good luck.

[@rickpayne3915]

Thank you for a history lesson

[@SavageFlies]

You're most welcome Rick! Thanks for watching. :-)

[@richarddavis8272]

I love history and especially WWII history. My Grandfather was a belly gunner on B17 and flew 29 missions. All of his brothers 4 of them were in the military, Army, Marines,Navy and Airforce. They all made it home without injury Praise God. I had a hard time getting stories from them, I guess they put the war behind them and did t want to relive the experiences. My grandfather loved Flyfishing and taught me when I was 8 or nine. He did tell me a story about surviving. I would like to share. They were bombing Germany and catching flak the B17 was hit and going down. Being a belly gunner he and the pilot and co- pilot were the last to evacuate the plane and the co-pilots parachute opened inside the plane and blocked their exit. Miraculously, the engine fire went out before hitting the earth and he the pilot and co-pilot flew back to base in a broken B17. The rest of the crew Navigator. tailgunner, bombardier all had jumped out successfully and were captured by enemy becoming POW's. I really miss him he was very lucky and I wouldn't be the same had that plane crashed.

[@SavageFlies]

Wow Richard, what a great story. Thank you for sharing this one! Hat's off to your grandfather my friend. What heroes the soldiers from that era were. My grandfather was an Army veteran of WWII but he died before I was born so I never got to hear any of his stories. I'm glad you got to know yours. :-)

[@keithr4224]

Outstanding .....

[@kenneth4992]

What you have there is a pilot survival fishing kit they started using around Vietnam. As far as plastic box fishing kits go, the WW2 C-1 was a square fishing kit and followed by M-627 which was rectangular plastic box but was followed by the type you have that came in tin cans for a short time them the plastic box. WW2 lifeboat fishing kits were a 3 lb apron rig. I have another Vietnam time period, called Seek-2 fishing kit that has a small tube holding two or three flies tied onto a short leaders. Have you caught any fish with the one you tied? GOD Bless you and your families

[@SavageFlies]

Great comment Kenneth; thank you for sharing this knowledge with us! I have since done some more research and did see some pictures of the original WWII kits. I'm not sure I could afford one if I did find one for sale though. But it would be amazing to actually see one of the originals. Thanks again for the note and have a great weekend my friend!

[@kenneth4992]

@@SavageFlies Not sure how but I do own Wwii kits and I have pictures. If you search for "1944 USN M-592 Pilot Survival Kit Navy Ration MRE Taste Test Vintage Gadgets + Fishing Kit in a Can" here on youtube Steve1989mreinfo shows a pilot survial kit and if you fast forward to 34:30 he opens an original can and shows the items inside.

[@SavageFlies]

@@kenneth4992 Kenneth- wow, I'm watching this now. Thanks for the link! He's opening the one in the can which is great too. He just said it's almost five pounds so I think this is the one that was in the life rafts. Now the M-267 is the small one in the plastic case, which I guess is the one the pilots carried in their vests. But no flies in that one! I suppose it wasn't until the later ones from the Korean and Viet Nam eras that started having all the flies. Either way, this was a nice video to watch. Thanks for sending it!

[@martyrothman3933]

Matt what is the name of that company that made the kit

[@dahutful]

So these are flies upon which Airmans survival would depend. We can call them survival flies. This was at a time when flyfishing was on a high note. It can be expected that these flies were chosen for very good reason. This makes it all the more intriguing to know what was in the fly box?

[@dahutful]

I have heard the Mickey Finn was included in them, as well.

[@SavageFlies]

I read that somewhere too! Nothing but four pretty plain wet flies in this one though.

[@wayneandrews1278]

I think I need to make one

[@MarshallBartlett]

I have a feeling I saw something similar to this fly in Helen Shaw's wet fly book "Flies for Fish and Fishermen." She gave names to all the flies in that encyclopedic tying manual, and most of the flies in it were patterns from the first-half of the 20th century. I can't locate my copy at the moment, or I would check to see if my memory is betraying me. Anyone have a copy of that book that can check?

[@SavageFlies]

That's a great lead Marshall. I just checked her "Fly Tying" book but I don't have this one. Now you made me look for a copy online and even used copies of this thing are pretty pricey right now. What do you remember of the book? It seems to be a pretty popular one. I might have to break down and order a used copy somewhere.

[@MarshallBartlett]

@@SavageFlies It's very methodical in covering a range of tying patterns. It grouped them according to technique: chenille bodies, dubbed bodies, slip wings, etc...then presented multiple patterns for each type of increasing complexity. I remember that I found it an interesting way of teaching fly tying and that, though many of the patterns were similar, she gave names to each one and included a set of color plates of all the flies in the center of the book. I picked up a copy years ago in my college bookstore. It was the only fly fishing or tying book they had and was tucked between books on the history of American football and baseball in the "Sports" section. I hope it turns up somewhere - I haven't looked at it in years...

[@SavageFlies]

@@MarshallBartlett Thank you! I think I’ll try to find one.

[@MarshallBartlett]

@@SavageFlies I tracked down my copy last evening - my daughter had squirreled it and several other of my tying tomes away in her room. Love that she is interested in tying...and wish she would ask before she carts off my stuff! But such is the nature parenting, I guess... Helen Shaw has several named variants of this pattern in the book (chenille body with a contrasting chenille tag/butt, front hackle, and a wing) but not this specific color/wing material combination.

[@SavageFlies]

Oh man, that’s a bummer! But I appreciate you taking a look and doing the digging. 👍

[@marksleeper9385]

my dad was a gunner in WWII

[@SavageFlies]

Hat's off to your dad Mark. Thanks for the note my friend.

[@marksleeper9385]

@@SavageFlies thanks Matt and thanks for also serving

[@thomaswalls123]

Did you change the music, because it's a WW2 fly?

[@SavageFlies]

I did Thomas! I tried to find the closest thing KZbin had in their free library that sounded like 1940s. I don't know how close I got but oh well. I liked it. :-)

[@tonygarrett601]

This would have been a good fly for you new electric tool.

[@SavageFlies]

Yep, and I did use it on one of the earlier flies of this I tied. I probably should have on this too as it might have kept that head a little smaller. Thanks for the note Tony!

[@bobteeden2657]

I wonder what the Germans thought of those kits?