Autumn is the island's best-kept secret, with warm water, empty surf breaks and striped bass running the back bay. Stalk the flats with Badfish, the only full-time guide working them by fly and lure, then test your nerve on the 648-yard ninth at Shore Gate. Paddle out on a board from Heritage Surf, family-run since 1962, and chase the sunset across the bay aboard Shore Thing's 50-mph World Cat before a BYOB feast at Dockside Kitchen. Peak color, quiet beaches and nowhere to be.