Angler surprised to reel in fish with attached huge crocodile

Angler Ben Stack from Cooktown in Queensland, Australia, thought the threadfin he caught had run under a log when he was no longer able to reel it in, during a recent Cape York fishing trip. “Us fishermen and women know that fish run for cover under snags all the time, so I began slowly winching in the heavy dead weight to the boat,’’ he says.
“My 60lb (27kg) leader surfaced and I leaned over the boat and grabbed the leader with both hands. Leaning over the side of the boat, hand over hand, I began pulling the leader in. But this stage, I was expecting to see a large branch or log come to the surface from under my boat. The water was a bit murky, so I was really hanging over the side to get a good look.
“What took place in the next few seconds felt like a lifetime.” He said he first saw a bit of silver, then its lure with the fish’s mouth wide open. “I lifted the leader some more and leaned over further to see what the fish was hooked up on,’’ he said. “It was at this moment, I realized I was staring eye to eye with a solid saltwater crocodile.
“We were no more than 20 inches (51cm) apart.” When fright kicked in, he said he released the leader and flew backwards into his boat. “I couldn’t believe what I had just experienced and I didn’t think anybody was going to believe me,’’ he said. He warned those fishing in creeks and rivers with crocodiles to be careful of crocodiles, as the predators may be hiding under boats.