# Drive-able Beach in VA??



## Fishbreath (Nov 11, 2004)

The question is...is there one around Sandbridge or south of there, while staying in VA???


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## dstealinghome (Sep 24, 2005)

no sir nothing here but walking to the beach . gotta go south to n . c.


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## Newsjeff (Jul 22, 2004)

Umm ... unless you're rich and have a key. :--|


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## Fishbreath (Nov 11, 2004)

Well, I'm not rich, and I don't think any of the keys I have will fit any locks hanging on any fences there.  

One year I stayed in a beach house in Corova, NC and the fence dividing VA and NC was within sight of our house. Was told they only open it during hurricane emergencies to let the folks get out off there fast. 

Oh well...just thought I'd ask.


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## Newsjeff (Jul 22, 2004)

Sorry if I came across as a smart arse in the post above.

It's just a sore subject with many of us who fish Back Bay.

To see the rich in their Hummers w/ out-of-state tags driving through your lines like they own the beach. Wonderin' how they got a key to the gate in the first place??? :--| 

Actually, Back Bay is a great place to fish if you don't mind the walkover.

The place you stayed in Carova is a great spot, too. Espically this time of year.


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## Billy J (Aug 3, 2006)

i talked with the fire department about a key cause i used to work down in carova they said there only @ 30 or so people with keys and no one could get a new key like posted above he said they open it in emergency cases only


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## Newsjeff (Jul 22, 2004)

Billy J said:


> i talked with the fire department about a key cause i used to work down in carova they said there only @ 30 or so people with keys and no one could get a new key like posted above he said they open it in emergency cases only


I guess those 30 or so people must be makin' copies then.


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## stlcrtn (Oct 11, 2005)

my parents have owned land down in carova since 1969. you use to be able to drive thru false cape if you owned land but had to have a permit, you also use to have a permit to drive up to corolla. when they closed off false cape the only people who got permits were year round residents of carova and people who worked there, mainly commercial fisherman. i know they use to be very strict about who had access. i grew up not only fishing the surf with my father but also some of the fresh water in the area and its a great place to do some catching. there are holes all over the place down there. if you get a chance its definitely worth the drive also the stump fields down towards corolla are great.


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## AL_N_VB (Apr 3, 2002)

FB..I gotta key...but it may put you behind federal bars for a very long time...or be broke ,paying the fine 

Jus like NJ stated...BB/aka the Refuge is a very sore subject...when it's young ya-hoos runnin under your lines or playing chicken with your kids on the beach....Or False Cape park ranger's wives who don't make up the "30 key" holders, harrass people on the beach, cause were up the close to the dune line cause of high tide, and we're in her way.That lil freeway called Carova...can make a great day of fishing go sour real fast. But these are random cases, they may not happen all the time ,but they do happen.

The Refuge would be an awesome nite time place to go fishing during the fall...but due to the so called "30 keys" that are left...the Federally owned (and maintained by our tax dollars) parked called the Refuge will never be open 24 hours....as per Gene, the park ranger..they close the park @ sunset for our safety...would hate for "anyone" aka nesting sea turtles, plovers, seagulls,deer, err....ponies...to get run over by a "30 key" holder...which with the time I've spent back there...I've seen many a carcass..... 

I'm all for closing ORV access @ the Refuge...keep her open 24 hours like most seashore parks. 


But..FB...have a great time when your in town! Gimme a buzz, I'll meet up.


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## Fishbreath (Nov 11, 2004)

Hey NJ, no worries. It is obviously a sore subject with many folks. The politics and the money always seem to find a way, don't they?  

Gotta admit, when we stayed in Corova, the beach did seem like a freeway, and they had very little concern for fishing lines and children. I much prefer HI.

Al, I'll be looking for ya the first weekend in October.


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## Singletjeff (Mar 27, 2005)

I stayed in Corova a couple years ago for thanksgiving weekend. There was some traffic, but not too much. I was set up on the beach, fishing, truck parked just above the water. Well a police officer came and gave us a warning, told us that we needed to have our lines set up in the water and have our trucks parked up in the soft sand. The hardpack sand was a roadway and we were blocking it. Comon, the beach was WIDE there, plenty of hardpack to go around.....Needless to say, I will never stay in Corova again. Why be someplace on the beach where you can drive but can't park to fish???? Absolutely ridiculous....


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## Billy J (Aug 3, 2006)

hey say what you want about the "30" or so keys i just was saying what i was told by the corova beach fire department my company has a buissness in nc and cannot get a key


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## JAM (Jul 22, 2002)

From what I have been told it has nothing to do with property ownership.. It was the older comm fishing guys with the dorys that have the keys.. JAM


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## hic-lock (Jun 27, 2001)

Yep, the rules are sketchy at best. Actually it's a bit of both.

The comm haul seiners way back when could add people to their "pass". I'm not sure what the "pass" had to do with traveling through False Cape State Park and Back Bay N W R. Maybe it allowed the fishermen access to markets in Virginia.

My cousin, who lives on the NC side of the fence, signed my Grandpa up on his fishing "pass" in the 60's. He held the right to travel that stretch whenever, as long as he was driving the vehicle. If my Grandma wanted to go separately or on a different day than he, she had to go around. Hows that for strict rules? He held the "pass" until death without the right to will it to any other person. You would think my cousin would re-acquire the credit of the "pass" and be allowed to re-issue it to another person - NOPE. It's gone forever. Crazy! I believe no fishing passes will be issued anymore to allow them to "die-out"

Now there seems to be another "permit" for traveling that stretch. It's a "work pass". The full time residents on the NC side, Corolla-Carova, can acquire a "pass" if they have full time employment on the VA side. This seems to be the only way new "passes" are issued.

I've been blessed with responsibility of taking care of the Grandparents property there in Carova. One mile south of the VA - NC line and would do just about anything to get one of those passes. If it ever happens, bet I'll stop and chat with everyone of you guys I come across on that stretch of beach, even give you a ride if need be.

I've read the past posts about the disrespect given to anglers by the drivers coming down Back Bay. IMHO those folks are lacking ANY general respect to others. There are a couple bad apples in every bunch.

Sorry some of you have had bad experiences there like Singletjeff, but its a paradise away from home for me.


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## stlcrtn (Oct 11, 2005)

*paradise*

hic-loc i hear you. like i said my parents have owned land there since the late 60's and i pretty much spent the entire summer there when i was a kid. dont get down there much anymore but when i do you can bet i cherish the moment. i cant think of a better place to have grown up. the place isnt what it use to be but its still a slice of paradise to any one who knows. the moment you sink your toes in the sand the worries of the world seem to disappear. what is you and your cousins name, if hes been down there that long im sure my folks or myself will know him.


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## thresher593 (Nov 19, 2005)

*Dept. of the Interior Back Bay Docket*

Here is a link for the docket about access to Back Bay. Tried posting as an attachment but no go.


http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/...ss.gpo.gov/cfr_2004/octqtr/pdf/50cfr26.34.pdf


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## Caught Myself (Sep 14, 2004)

I've fished BB more than most for the past two years judging by who I saw there. I've had several close encounters with a$$holes. Some wave, some stop and ask what I'm catching, some give me the one finger salute, even had beer bottle drive bys. That place needs to be closed to all vehicular traffic. It's a federal wildlife refuge. No vehicles except the rangers. It was different back in the day when you couldn't get to Corova any other way except by boat. Shut it down.


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## hic-lock (Jun 27, 2001)

stlcrtn, check your PMs.....


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## hic-lock (Jun 27, 2001)

Thanks for digging that up thresher!

Interesting...... the refuge manager is KING! LMAO!

Dayum CM, beer bottle drive-bys? I see whats got you mad! BUT you know what they say....Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it!


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## AL_N_VB (Apr 3, 2002)

So the adverage driver should be in their late 60's?..............hmm...is there a fountain of youth somewhere along Carova and the Refuge?


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## hic-lock (Jun 27, 2001)

HA, If there is one NS4D, bet you're arse the "king" has is guarded well! I'm no lawyer but this may be the roadmap to it. 
"(3) The refuge manager may grant one-time use authorization for vehicular access through the refuge to individuals, not otherwise qualified above, who have demonstrated to the refuge manager that there is no feasible alter-native to the access requested. Author-ization for access under this provision will not be based on convenience to the applicant."


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