MIKE MARSHALL AND GRAND PRIX RODS

TRAINED as a precision engineer, he achieved professional status as a designer with a dozen UK patents to his name, and was proud of progressing from apprentice to managing director of the same company. However, many would say with more than a grain of truth, this was only to feed the family and fund his fishing!

FISHING very widely indeed throughout the UK and Ireland for trout, grayling, sea trout and salmon, his experience is extensive. This ranges from tiny Devonshire rivers, fishing for wild trout, to the large Scottish rivers for salmon, from the reservoirs of the east for rainbows, to the sea trout rivers of the west. In fact, a multitude of fishing situations, on which to base the designs for a range of fly rods.

TOURNAMENT fly casting and the design of suitable equipment to successfully compete with, has held Mike’s interest for a very long time. He started in 1965 and won his first trout event in 1966 with 44.3 yards, in awful casting conditions against some famous casters of the day. In 1983 he raised the UK Trout Distance record from 67 to 71.3 yards and, in 2004, set a UK seniors Salmon record of 82.2 yards.

TEACHING fly casting started in 1979, due to a pressing local need in the Essex area, and this carries on to the present day. During this time he has used a huge number of different fly rods and, as a result, is now able to judge the best rod for individual fishing requirements. Of course, this experience is ongoing so comparisons are easy to make and, if a new model of rod appears, sooner or later an angler needing casting tuition, will bring it along. While teaching Mike has experienced many problems with clients’ rods and lines not matching, so further expense is then incurred to obtain the ideally suited line, after test casting. A further recent problem has been a number of rods being too stiff for the AFTM rating given by the makers. Examples being an expensive 9' #5 river rod from the USA, that its owner could only cast properly with a #7 line, and a top UK 91/2' #7 rod that was powerful enough for Mike to cast nearly 40 yards using a DT8F line! These problems are further compounded by the fact that there are often significant variations in stiffness within a production batch of the same rod. Snake rings can cause problems when double-haul casting, since the line goes around and under the rod during the forward cast. It also takes a rod repairer like him to discover how quickly wire rings can wear. An example being a client who brought an expensive rod to have it’s grooved snakes replaced with lined rings, having regularly used it in a relatively clean boat for only one year. The wear was caused by the tiny particles of abrasive Essex clay, always present in the boat.

ROD MAKING started in 1983 as a result casting clients finding Mike’s fishing rods, also used for teaching, so much better than their’s. The inevitable results were requests to purchase replicas, but this was not immediately possible as they were cut and ground from non-production blanks. However, due to the obvious need, a great deal of time, effort and expense went into co-operating with high class UK makers, to produce carbon (graphite in the USA) blanks with identical performances. From this very sound base the GRAND PRIX range has been developed, and it is very pleasing to be able to say that it has stood the test of time in incredibly varied angling conditions. Furthermore, no individual rod has ever been changed to avoid confusing clients, it is only that the overall range is added to as specific new requirements emerge. Incidentally, translated from French, GRAND PRIX means GREAT PRIZE and, considering the unavoidable associations with technology, speed and high performance in various sporting activities, it is hoped you will conclude the rods are named appropriately. Technical excellence is what these rods are all about.

VALUE FOR MONEY and a truly personal service are what this small company strives to provide, and it is hoped that this brief history conveys these points adequately. In this connection expensive advertising, ‘glossy’ literature, administration staff and, even credit cards are avoided, in order to keep costs low, thus allowing as much as possible to be put into the rods and old fashioned customer service. It may even be that some of this philosophy creeps into this website!