Fall Color l Fall Fishing

Meet The Fall Reporters

It's not a question of where you'll find great fall foliage and fishing in North Carolina, but when. Our experts report on places to find peak conditions each week. Look for new updates Wednesdays from late September through early November.

Fall Color in the Mountains

Howard Neufeld
Appalachian State University

Howard S. Neufeld is a professor of plant physiology at Appalachian State University in Boone. He has a doctorate in physiological plant ecology from the University of Georgia, a master’s in forest ecology from Yale University and a bachelor’s in forestry from Rutgers University. Dr. Neufeld has spent years researching the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and is considered an expert on the impact of air quality on ecosystems there. He posts detailed foliage reports on his Fall Color Guy blog and Facebook page and has served as a fall color expert for media including the Associated Press. Dr. Neufeld lives in Vilas with his wife and daughter.

Fall Color in the Piedmont

Dick Thomas
Piedmont Environmental Center

Dick Thomas is the executive director / naturalist at the Piedmont Environmental Center. He earned his master’s in environmental studies from Antioch University and a bachelor’s in biology from Hiram College. Mr. Thomas has been the executive director of the Environmental Center, a facility and program of High Point Parks and Recreation, since 1998. In addition, he is a past president of the North Carolina Association of Environmental Education Centers as well as the Furnitureland Rotary Club. He is a Level 3 certified coastal kayaking instructor.

Fall Fishing at the Coast

Captain Gary Dubiel
Spec Fever Guide Service

Captain Gary Dubiel is the owner and operator of Spec Fever Guide Service in Oriental. United States Coast Guard (USCG) licensed and insured, he runs both fly rod and light tackle year-round charter service, fishing for a variety of both salt- and brackish-water game fish. Visitors can often find Captain Gary fishing and running charters on his home waters of the Neuse River and Pamlico Sound or along the Crystal Coast. Whether it's giant red drum, stripers, specks or just about anything else that swims, he fishes for it.

Captain Gary is an International Game Fish Association (IGFA) Fly Rod World Record holder. He has written for a number of magazines and served as a regional editor for Shallow Water Angler for several years. In addition, he regularly lectures at sports fishing shows, fly fishing events, fishing clubs and the Salt Water Sportsman’s National Seminar Series. Captain Gary and his original fly patterns have been featured in numerous books and magazines as well as regional, national and international sports fishing shows on networks such as UNC-TV, ESPN 2, Versus, NBC Sports Network, the Sportsman Channel, WFN and Discovery Channel Europe.

 

added: September 8, 2009

updated: September 26, 2012