[dropcap]S[/dropcap]eptember is a slow month for fishing Long island. The positive side is that the weather is more calm then usual and it can be very relaxing to drift around deep dropping with the engines off and a cold beer in your hand. My preference for deep dropping is to target large unique species such as escolar, wreckfish and swordfish. We also get many weird and mysterious creatures lurking in the deep and it can be fun to pull a few aliens into the boat. For those who do not prefer the electric reel fishing but rather a more sportsman approach, vertical jigging works great for blackfin tuna, kingfish, grouper, and more. We like to use the smaller size jigs such as 75 grams to 100 grams for jigging all day. These small jigs do not wear you out as much and they work great for all species. Two techniques that have been productive is to drop the jig down 200 to 300 feet deep and jig it up in a fast aggressive popping action, or when you work up a sweat, you can slow it down to a pumping action as if you are fighting a fish. With it being so hot during September, we like to do a lot of spearfishing. Long Island has exceptional spearfishing for many species such as grouper, hogfish and even pelagic species. The women’s world record for hogfish was taken here in Long Island, as well as other world records. We often come back from a day of diving with forty to fifty hogfish as well as numerous groupers and snappers. The experience of diving in the crystal clear waters of Long Island is second to none and a memorable experience.