Back in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when striped bass and hybrid bass were first stocked in Clarks Hill, a day of striper fishing started shortly after the previous day ended, with anglers setting out in the wee hours of the morning to catch enough bait for a day’s fishing.
Today, anglers merely have to allow enough time for a brief stop by the local bait shop, where they can purchase dozens of fresh live baits. Two Clarks Hill landmarks are the Herring Hut in the town of Clarks Hill and the Palmetto Angler located in McCormick.
Having grown up under the tutelage of a father who fished Clarks Hill nearly every day after the reservoir was impounded, it seemed natural to William Sasser to become a guide. As a striper guide, his success depends largely on the availability of live bait, and that reliance hastened his career path from fishing guide to bait shop owner.
“I bought the Herring Hut about two years ago,” he said. “At that time, it was a well-known bait shop, but all they had was herring, nothing else. These days, with the help of my son Brad and my other guides Mark Crawford and Andrew Tubbs, we’ve turned it into fully stocked bait and tackle shop.”
During the fall of 2011, Sasser added another well-known fishing landmark, the Palmetto Angler in McCormick, to the fold. It’s his primary meeting spot for clients, as well as a focal point for all things fishing-related in McCormick.
“It’s been an adjustment, going from being just a guide to owning two stores and all the day-to-day that goes along with being a retailer,” he said. “The main thing is that now there are two convenient places to go, whether you’re looking to hire a fishing guide, buy bait or tackle to go on your own, or just want to stop in and talk fishing. Our guides run these stores when they’re not out fishing so we can give you up to date information anything from stripers to largemouth, crappie, bream, catfish or anything else that swims in Clark’s Hill.”
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