About Wooly Bugged

AMy name is Michael Evanko, and Wooly Bugged is where I share my personal journey through fly fishing. It is a reflection of who I am, what I’ve learned, what I am learning, and a drive to explore the waters and fish that continue to shape me. I try to write and create with honesty and authenticity.About Wooly Bugged

About Wooly Bugged

My name is Michael Evanko, and Wooly Bugged is where I share my personal journey through fly fishing. It is a reflection of who I am, what I’ve learned, and a drive to explore the waters and fish that continue to shape me. I try to write and create with honesty and authenticity.

I’ve been fishing for over 35 years. It started when I was young, casting for smallmouth bass on Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna and Juniata Rivers with my father. As I got older, I found myself drawn to trout streams, especially the waters of Central Pennsylvania. During college at Penn State, I picked up a fly rod and started exploring the region’s streams with a new sense of curiosity. That was the turning point. For the last 20 years, fly fishing has been my full-time focus on the water.

Wooly Bugged is an ongoing journal of my experiences, thoughts, and evolving perspective as a fly angler. I write and film to share what I’ve learned, to document where I’ve been, and to explore why these places and fish matter. I spend most of my time exploring native brook trout waters throughout Pennsylvania, with occasional trips into neighboring states like New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. I also return again and again to the Lake Erie and Lake Ontario tributaries to fish for steelhead, salmon, and lake-run brown trout on the fly.

You’ll also find Wooly Bugged on YouTube and social media, where I post videos and content from the water. My goal is to make fly fishing feel more approachable, especially for those just getting into the sport. Whether it’s a story, some practical advice, or an opinion piece, I try to keep it honest, thoughtful, and grounded in real experience.

At the center of it all is a deep respect for fish and the wild environments they depend on.

Thanks for following along. Hope to see you on the water.