Alexander Grant
Known as Sandy Batten 1856 - 1942
“The name of Alexander Grant will live as one of the greatest casters of his day and one of the most notable angling figures of his time” Jock Scott - angling writer
Alexander Grant was born in 1856 on a croft at Battengorm a few miles from Grantown. His two great passions were fiddling and fishing. He made fiddles and became interested in how different woods vibrate. In 1894 he invented a fly fishing rod that was made from South American greenheart wood. The rod sections were joined together by overlapping splices tied by leather thongs. This meant that the rod could vibrate consistently through the rod and made it possible to cast enormous distances with little effort. The invention took the angling world by storm when Grant achieved a world record cast of 65 yards in 1895. His record stood for 110 years.
Grant was a talented musician and one of the founders of the Highland Strathspey and Reel Society.
His interest in vibrations continued in violin making, not only copying the designs of famous makers like Stradivari but experimenting with different designs. He invented a new type of violin that was circular, called the Rondello.
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Known as Sandy Batten 1856 - 1942
“The name of Alexander Grant will live as one of the greatest casters of his day and one of the most notable angling figures of his time” Jock Scott - angling writer
Alexander Grant was born in 1856 on a croft at Battengorm a few miles from Grantown. His two great passions were fiddling and fishing. He made fiddles and became interested in how different woods vibrate. In 1894 he invented a fly fishing rod that was made from South American greenheart wood. The rod sections were joined together by overlapping splices tied by leather thongs. This meant that the rod could vibrate consistently through the rod and made it possible to cast enormous distances with little effort. The invention took the angling world by storm when Grant achieved a world record cast of 65 yards in 1895. His record stood for 110 years.
Grant was a talented musician and one of the founders of the Highland Strathspey and Reel Society.
His interest in vibrations continued in violin making, not only copying the designs of famous makers like Stradivari but experimenting with different designs. He invented a new type of violin that was circular, called the Rondello.
Back to Famous Grantonians
