--- description: The Aussie fisherman suddenly found himself “staring eye to eye with a solid salt water crocodile” a mere 20 inches away. title: This Guy's Fish Came With a Crocodile image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt231c9580f5eb9120/6987851b3c16393ecd4526a5/11049527_1575663032704192_8139225716630670623_n.png?branch=production&width=750&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # This Guy Caught a Fish That Had Already Been Caught by a Saltwater Crocodile by [Kevin McSpadden](/author/kevin-mcspadden/) ## Kevin McSpadden Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 25, 2015 7:43 AM CUT  A saltwater crocodile is seen chomping on a fish attached to Ben Stack's line in Cape York, Australia. A saltwater crocodile is seen chomping on a fish attached to Ben Stack's line in Cape York, Australia.Ben Stack by [Kevin McSpadden](/author/kevin-mcspadden/) ## Kevin McSpadden Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 25, 2015 7:43 AM CUT Getting a fishing lure stuck on a log can be frustrating, but it is nothing compared to what happened to Australian fisherman Ben Stack, who during a “few seconds that felt like a lifetime,” found himself “staring eye-to-eye with a solid saltwater crocodile.” The Queensland native thought the Blue Threadfin he had nabbed off the Cape York Peninsula had “run under a log.” After reeling in the fish, though, he leaned over the boat and suddenly realized this “log” was in fact a crocodile. “We were face-to-face and no more than 20 inches apart. Fright kicked in, I released the leader and flew backwards into the boat,” he said in a [first-person narrative ](https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cape-York-Guide-to-Explore-Hunt-Fish/1567409590196203 "undefined")posted Tuesday on Facebook. Incredibly, he had the presence of mind to snap some very impressive pictures.  A Threadlfin fish is seen attached to Ben Stack's line in Cape York Pennisula, Queensland, Australia Ben Stack Stack told TIME that the event, which happened “a little while ago now,” hasn’t stopped him from fishing. “I continue to fish. Things like this do happen in croc waters and I am simply spreading the awareness to be croc savvy,” he said. And the fish? The crocodile won that battle. “I wasn’t disappointed to lose the fish but I don’t like the idea of that croc knowing he can come to a boat for a free meal.” ### See The Best Biology Photos Of The Year  Two Bisons on the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. 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