CAPE HATTERAS, N.C.

Tim Butler's rod tip twitched slightly, then bowed toward the water.

After a short battle, Butler dragged a nice flounder onto the Cape Point sand.

His family gathered quickly, excitedly taking pictures and marveling at his catch.

Butler's flounder measured 18 inches. Not huge, but big enough to make some noise in the 4PLUS Four Wheel Drive Club's 24th annual surf-fishing tournament.

The fact that Butler's family and other surf fishermen were even on the beach was cause enough for them to celebrate.

Beach combers and surf anglers are engaged in their toughest battle yet for the right to use the beach. A judge's decision today could limit or prevent driving on the beach - or it could close it altogether.

Two environmental groups have asked a federal judge to issue injunctions to close the beach in six locations popular with anglers. Opponents say closures could have a negative economic impact on the Hatteras Island community.

"We've been coming down here for this tournament for eight years," said Butler, a 45-year-old rock quarry employee from Amelia, Va., whose fish was good for second place in the flounder division. "We wouldn't come down here if we couldn't drive out on the beach.

"They need to keep the access open. It would hurt a lot of the locals because tournaments and beach fishing bring in a lot of business to this area."

In February, the National Audubon Society and Defenders of Wildlife filed motions seeking beach closures in areas of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore to help protect endangered nesting shorebirds and turtles.

The environmental groups say the National Parks Service's off-road vehicle plan - in place since 1972 - is inadequate.

Surf fisherman and others who drive on the beach say the plans, drafted by the parks service and approved by resource users in 1978 and the early 1980s, sufficiently addressed environmental issues. Federal District Court Judge Terrence W. Boyle in Raleigh, N.C., this month refused to order the beaches closed. Today, Boyle will hold a hearing on a proposed agreement.

The biggest changes that would result from the proposed agreement would be that night beach driving would be restricted from May 1 to Nov. 15, and driving between Sept. 16 and Nov. 15 would only be allowed with permits. The proposal also would increase the buffer zone for unfledged piping plovers.

Jason Rylander, an attorney for Defenders of Wildlife, said in a statement to The Virginian-Pilot two weeks ago that the agreement should "lay to rest any concerns that wildlife can't coexist with beach driving at Cape Hatteras."

Still, some Hatteras Island locals are sweating today's decision.

"My business is off about 50 percent from this time last year," said Bob Eakes, who has owned Red Drum Tackle in Buxton for the past 32 years. "I don't know if complete closures would make business 100 percent off. But I know that it would make business not viable for a lot of people."

Ron Boyd is president of the Richmond-based four-wheel drive club that held last weekend's tournament.

He said club members usually make trips to the island at least twice a year. After the event, he and his family stayed for another week of vacation.

When he heard that a closure was being sought, he wondered if his event would be held.

"We were really nervous," Boyd said. "We just didn't know if we would have access or not.

"If we didn't, we knew that some people would still come because they could park and walk over. But not many people would do that. Then we realized that it could even be closed to pedestrian traffic. So there wouldn't be a tournament and there would be no need for any of us to come here."

Boyd's event drew nearly 600 anglers from along the East Coast. Many, like Butler, brought their families.

Some, like Boyd, turned the event into an extended vacation.

Davin Sheetz of Newmanstown, Pa., was one of them.

He stood Saturday in the Cape Point shallows, about 100 feet from a line of rope connected to stakes that stretched for miles between the beach and sand dunes.

Each stake bore a parks sign telling visitors the area was off-limits.

Sheetz held an 8-foot rod high in the air, waiting for something to strike.

The action was slow at midday.

"I don't care," said Sheetz, 42, who has been coming to Hatteras Island for 30 years. "We come down here twice a year, in the spring and in the fall, and I would be highly upset if I couldn't do that anymore. There's no need to come here if you can't drive out on the beach. I want to bring my children and my grandchildren here for years to come.

"This stuff has been going on for years. Basically, they're messing with things they shouldn't be messing with. And it's got the potential to hurt a lot of people's lives."

Lee Tolliver, (757) 222-5844, lee.tolliver@pilotonline.com