September on Long Island has always been one of my favorite times to fish—not because it’s the “best” season for any one species, but because it’s the rare month where so many fisheries overlap. We’re standing in that sweet spot where summer abundance and autumn energy collide, and for a few short weeks, you can have it all.
The water still holds the warmth of August, keeping summer visitors like fluke, porgies, and triggerfish active. For headboat anglers, those final drifts for late-season doormats become a race against the clock before the fluke season closes. Every bump on the rod could be the one you’ll talk about all winter. The porgy bite remains rock solid around the reefs and wrecks, with scup still averaging large, and the occasional sea bass adding to the cooler. Triggerfish are a welcome surprise, often showing up in better numbers around inshore structure as they fatten up before leaving for warmer waters.
At the same time, the first whispers of the fall run begin to make their way into our daily fishing conversations. Cooler nights and shortening days trigger changes in bait behavior, and soon, the shoreline becomes a moving buffet of mullet, peanut bunker, and bay anchovies. That’s when the striped bass start to stir, feeding with a little more urgency than they did in the heat of summer. Early-arriving bluefish prowl the same waters, slashing through bait schools and leaving the surface boiling. For surfcasters, September is that rare month where the morning tide can produce fluke in the wash, while the evening tide might see blues and schoolie bass chasing bait right up to your boots.
And then there’s the September wildcard—false albacore. Some years they arrive early, feeding with reckless abandon on the Sound side or out east near Montauk Point. Other years, they tease us with just a few brief appearances before the calendar flips to October. Either way, when they show, the energy shifts. Few fish can match the visual excitement of an albie blitz, and for many, it’s the true signal that fall fishing has begun in earnest.
The beauty of September fishing is the freedom it gives you. You can load the cooler with squid, spearing, and Gulp and target summer species in the morning, then switch over to tins, metals, or surface plugs for blues and bass in the afternoon. Offshore anglers still have shots at tuna when the weather allows, while inshore, kayak anglers and small-boat crews can easily split the day between bottom fishing and chasing surface feeds. It’s a month where the phrase “bring it all” really applies—light tackle, heavy tackle, bait, lures—because you never know what opportunity might present itself.
It’s also the last call for certain fisheries, and that’s part of what makes September feel so special. There’s a little more urgency to each drift for fluke, a little more patience when you’re picking through small porgies for a big one, and a little more appreciation when that late-season triggerfish finds your hook. On the other side of the coin, there’s the excitement of knowing the season is just starting for striped bass, bluefish, and albies. It’s not an ending or a beginning—it’s both at once.
For those who fish year-round, September serves as a reminder of how lucky we are on Long Island. We live in a place where the waters offer a revolving door of species, each with its own prime window of opportunity. As anglers, we’re part of that seasonal rhythm, and the more we recognize the subtle shifts—water temperature drops, bait migrations, weather patterns—the more we can take full advantage of months like this one.
So as you read this, take a moment to look at your calendar. Mark a few days, or better yet, a few long weekends, and commit them to fishing. Head to the pier, book a headboat, grab your surf rod, or load up the boat. September won’t last long, and before you know it, you’ll be looking back, wishing you’d spent just one more day chasing fish during this shoulder season sweet spot.
