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I first met Mervyn Haskins during the fishing season of 1969 - 1970 at a South West Winter League match when I fished for the Ridgeway AA. Mervyn, is of course, better known as “Topper” Haskins. Topper was then captain of the City of Bristol team, a team always in contention for the South West Winter League title. Back then, Topper travel to matches on his motor bike with his tackle box strapped to the rear and with rods on his back.

There is a miss conception that Topper got his nick name through some association with fishing – not true! His name was given to him by his family – commonly known as his “Family given name”. Mervyn was born in 1939 and had four brothers Tom, Gordon, Jim, Jay and two sisters Brenda and Diane. Jim’s Family given name was “Demon” for some reason. The rest of the boys were also known as “Topper”.

Topper started fishing at an early age and had quick success. In 1956 Topper qualified for the “Peoples” Championship final on the river Ouse. For the youngsters reading this the People was Sunday broad sheet paper, very similar to the “News of the World”. It was a very popular paperback then – I know I use to have a Sunday newspaper round!! Alan Coley (another well known float maker - Wagglers and Sticks) had also qualified and travelled with Topper to the final.

Topper was fishing against the best anglers in the country, such as the great Ivan Marks. With heavy overnight rain the competitors were confronted with a rising river Ouse. However, Topper had a good draw with a bay just down stream, giving him some slack to trot an Avon float in to (no quiver tips or feeders back then). Topper won the match with 9lb 2oz. The picture on the right shows Topper landing a Roach on his running line and float rod - why the two keepnets?

Topper had a few good years winning most of the big club match

trophies. The picture right shows Topper being presented with the Bristol & West Open Trophy fished on the Crane stretch of the Bristol Avon at Keynsham in 1957.

In 1960 the fishing had to be put on the back burner as Topper was conscripted into the army at the age of 21, for the mandatory two years, joining the “Somerset and Cornwall” Regiment (it’s a shame that conscription was ever stopped). Topper traveled overseas quite a lot in that two years. One of his more memorable days was taking part in the “Gibraltar Sports Day” in North Africa – Trabruc – Al’adam. The sports day was traditionally held against the Army arch rivals the RAF based at Al’adam. Topper’s chosen event was the pole vault!! However, back then they didn’t have the carbon fibre poles they have today. Topper had to make do with a stiff aluminium pole. However the pole vault event became army versus army as the RAF were left wanting some what. Topper came second with a vault of 11 foot 3 inches, narrowly beaten by his army buddy.

As I have previously written Topper became the Bathampton AA Club team captain and had many successful years. The team event that Topper is particularly proud of was his John Smith’s Teams of Five win. Topper (pictured right with his winning catch) won the match with 9lb 4oz. His weight consisted of mainly Barbel, an eight pounder!

You can’t write about Topper without mentioning his now famous Crow Quill Avon floats, also commonly referred to as “Toppers”. The first of Toppers floats were constructed with a shaped balsa body slid over a crow quill. Topper later developed a three piece float with Separate crow quill tops and bottoms with high density foam with slimmer shaped bodies (helicopter internal blade quality – say no more). The foam floats took much more shot than the previous balsa type. He also added colourful whipping to help give the float rubbers grip. They were in fact a work of art (see photographs right of his float range) – and all duly signed “Topper” with the approximate weights in BB's.Topper has now retired from float making; however, a distant relation of his Mark Haskins is still making a very similar float (as far as I am concerned they will never be the same). I remember fishing an open match at Fry’s and Topper was up stream of me and he lost one of his home made Crow Quill Avon’s (this was before he made them commercially). The float had freed itself from the line and floated down in to my swim. I recovered the float and my first Topper float was in my tackle box. Some years later I explained the story to Topper and offered to return it. I treasure that float and I still have it in my river float box today. The result was another win for Topper - third in four matches (see newspaper clip bottom left).

With river matches in decline, mainly due to the advent of commercial fisheries Topper fishes few matches now days. However, he can be enticed back as a stand in on the river if a winter league team is short, but the river has to be “spot on”.

Topper married his wife Pat in 1963 and today (pictured lower right together in their back garden) –46 years on both share the same hobby of Caravanning. Topper now has a caravan down at Brean and spends most of the summers there. He tells me he goes fishing most days on a small lake adjacent to his caravan (Bream to 7lb).

I will never forget the 114lb 3oz match catch of Bream Topper had from the Bristol Avon from one below Swineford Outfall. Topper fished down the middle with one of his 14 BB Crow Quill Avon’s with bread on the hook.

TOP THAT!