For young lads, the pastime was dabbing for eels. Because garden worms were very tough and would not break easily like mud worms, the youngsters would dig for worms in people’s gardens. Then using a borrowed darning needle and a length of wool, they would thread the worms onto the wool by pushing the needle lengthways through the worms. When they had about two foot of worms on the wool, they would tie the ends together forming a ball which made a juicy target for the eels. The ball of worms would then be tied to a brush handle or pole and a young lad would wade out at low water onto the mud at the dock entrance.

The other boys remained on shore and held the corners of a hessian sack or piece of canvass with a large hole in the middle which was suspended over a bucket. The pole was dipped into the sea, raised with lots of eels clinging on, swung to the shore, held over the sack and the eels would then be knocked down into the hole with a piece of wood. The dockers would reward the youngsters by buying all the eels they caught.