A FAVOURITE activity amongst those wishing to get away from the Esplanade or just wanting see another part of Weymouth is crabbing.

On any given day during the summer, families can be seen dotted along the picturesque old harbour dangling bait over the wall in anticipation of snaring a crab or two.

Many find the cheap family activity a fun way to spend the day when the weather is not quite right for the beach.

Armed with just a bag of bacon bits, even the most novice of anglers can be seen proudly holding onto a bucket of water filled with the catch of the day.

Kerrie McLellan, 36, said she liked to bring her children crabbing when they came up on holiday from Brighton.

She said: “I’m actually from Weymouth so I come down to see my gran and my mum and bring the children down crabbing because it’s what I used to do when I was little.

“It’s fun catching crabs.

“I’ve brought the kids down before and they love it.

“It’s an ideal activity when you cannot do the beach thing. We go around the harbour looking at boats and do a bit of crabbing. The children are happy for hours.”

Kerrie’s son Jack is a keen angler and said he would recommend crabbing to anyone.

The 11-year-old said: “It’s good. I get to come out with my family and it’s nice.

“I’d recommend crabbing to other people. It’s quite cheap and you don’t have to know about fishing – anyone could do it.”

Jack and his friend Jacob Strange had caught a crab and lost two more in just ten minutes of fishing.

Jacob said the friends did a lot of fishing and crabbing was something he liked to do when the weather wasn’t so good.

The most common way to catch a crab in Weymouth is to dangle traps baited with bits of cheap bacon in a net bag tied to the end of a long string.

Then anglers patiently wait until they get a bite and gently pull the string up with the crab attached to it.

Crabs are then best kept in a bucket of water until the end of the day when they can be released back into the harbour.

The safest way to pick up a crab is to use a pair of tongs to avoid being pinched, but most people prefer to simply wear protective gloves.

The safest ways to pick up a crab is to get behind it, put a foot on the crustacean to prevent it from turning around or scurrying away and hold the rear part of the crab along with some rear legs with a tight grip.

Crabbing gear and bait can be bought in a number of shops along the old harbour.