September is when the Long Island Sound stops feeling like summer and starts feeling like fishing. The water's cooling. The bunker are thick along the north shore. And the striped bass that spent August hiding on deep structure are back on the move — pushing bait to the surface, chasing plugs on the tide changes, and getting caught in serious numbers. Here's what I'm seeing from the wheelhouse of the Christina M II right now, and what the next six weeks are going to look like out of Mount Sinai.
What we're seeing right now
The bait showed up along Old Field last week and hasn't left. That's the whole story. When peanut bunker and adult menhaden stack up in the central Sound, stripers stop hiding — they eat. We've had multiple mornings this month where the first drift produced a fish, and we've boated bass across the whole size range: schoolies in the low-20s, keepers hitting the 28–31 inch slot right on the button, and some legitimately big fish over 40 inches getting tagged and released. If you've been on the fence about a fall trip, this is the window.
Techniques working best this month
- Trolling tube-and-worm — the workhorse. Wire line, a red-and-black tube, a live sandworm on the trailer, at 2.5 knots along the contours. When we're covering water looking for a school, this is what I put in first.
- Live-lining bunker — when the bait is on the surface, we snag a fresh bunker, put it back down on a 6/0 circle hook, and drift it near structure. This is the technique that puts big fish in the boat. Not every trip has the bait to make it work, but when it does, hold on.
- Jigging bucktails — deeper on the ledges, on incoming or outgoing tide, a 3-ounce white bucktail with a trailer will find fish that won't chase a plug. Great technique for kids and beginners because it's simple: drop, feel bottom, lift, drop, lift.
Sunset trips are the story of September
Since we shifted to afternoon departures a couple months back, our 3–5 PM trips have been the most productive of the year. The wind lays down, the boat traffic thins out, the last of the incoming tide fires up right around dinner time, and the fish are aggressive. Skippy's picking up more sunset bookings than mornings right now, and honestly — I get why. The light is unreal, the fishing is on, and you're back at the dock with a cooler of fish just as it gets dark.
Fall on the Long Island Sound doesn't ask permission. Bait shows up, fish show up, and if you're on the water you catch. If you're not, you don't. Simple.
What the next six weeks look like
Barring a stretch of blown-out weather, the striper bite is going to hold strong through the first two weeks of October. After Columbus Day the fish start pushing east toward the Race and eventually south toward Montauk — but until then, the central Sound is exactly where you want to be. October 11 is also when we officially switch to fall blackfish trips, but we can still put together a striper-focused half-day if that's the target. Just tell us when you book.
Regs — quick reminder
New York State's 2026 recreational striped bass slot remains 28 to less than 31 inches, one fish per angler per day. Anything outside that goes back. Bigger fish get careful handling and — if the angler wants to be part of it — a Gray Fish Tag marker before release. Read more about that in our post on the Gray Fish Tag program.
Fall dates are booking up fast — we're already 60% booked for October. If you want in on the run, grab a date now or call/text 631-252-6536.
Get in on the fall run.
October dates are 60% booked. Grab one before they're gone.
