Townsville angler hooks saltwater crocodile on lure intended for barramundi
An angry crocodile was the last thing a Townsville fisherman expected to see on the end of his line. Watch the scary moment he brings the angry reptile up.
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An angry crocodile was the last thing a Townsville fisherman expected to see on the end of his line.
James Falkenberg was fishing in one of the many waterways in the Hinchinbrook Channel at the weekend, targeting the prized sportfish barramundi.
Using his sounder, Mr Falkenberg was able to map out a sunken log with a school of barra holding on it.
Fishing the snag, the Mount Low angler cast in his lure before jagging what he believed to be the log.
At first the heavy mass came up fairly easy. It wasn’t until Mr Falkenberg got it to the surface that he realised he had hooked a saltwater croc.
“It was a shock when it surfaced,” he told the Townsville Bulletin.
The keen angler captured the moment he pulled up the 2m croc on video.
The realisation of hooking a crocodile was met with a volley of expletives.
“That is not a stick. Oh my god, that is not a stick at all. Holy s**t, holy s**t, oh my Lord, holy moly,” he said. “Wow, that changes things.”
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Mr Falkenberg told the Bulletin the croc dived towards the bottom a number of times in an arm-wrenching 20 minute battle.
Fortunately, the hooks pulled out from the crocodile’s back allowing it swim away while Mr Falkenberg got his lure back.
Mr Falkenberg said he had never hooked a crocodile before and hoped he would never again.
Despite the scary experience, he will return to the fishing spot next week for another barra trip.
Originally published as Townsville angler hooks saltwater crocodile on lure intended for barramundi