Monster 5m croc attacks fisho sleeping on 4.2m tinny on Cato River in East Arnhem Land

A shaken Top End fisho is ‘glad he is still alive’ after a monster 5-metre croc attacked his 4.2m tinny while he slept in it. SEE THE VIDEO.

A SHAKEN Top End fisho is “glad he is still alive” after a monster 5-metre croc attacked his 4.2m tinny while he slept in it.

Jason Charles was sleeping in his boat on the Cato River in East Arnhem Land when he was awoken at 5am on Sunday morning by the giant croc — much bigger than his tinny — attacking his motor, and threatening to overturn his vessel by launching itself aboard.

The fisho said he had never been so scared in his life.

“I’ve got a bigger boat but it’s back in Darwin in Humpty Doo. But this one is only a small one and he could have easily got in the boat and tore it to pieces.

“I was just petrified – I thought I was seriously in a lot of trouble because I was only in a 4.2 metre boat too, a small boat.”

The only thing that separated the monster 5m croc from shocked fisho Jason Charles was his 4.2m aluminium tinny. Picture: Jason Charles

Only 100m up the river his mate, Dave Miegle, was camping in his boat too, when the croc actually attacked his fishing companion’s boat first.

Dave tried to warn his sleeping mate downriver.

 “He (Dave) got up and turned on his lights and started yelling ‘there’s a croc there’s a croc’,” Jason said.

Then five minutes later, the aggro, early-morning visitor bashed itself against Jason’s small tinny and chomped its huge jaws down on his boat motor.

“Shit meself … we had a few beers too, which didn’t help,” he said.

When the menacing saltie “shook the boat”, Jason flicked on his light to see what was going on.

“He was sitting there at the back of the boat just looking at me and I reckon his head would have fitted in a wheelbarrow, he was a monster,” he said.

After the horrified fisho realised the terrifying sight in the dark was not a bloodcurdling nightmare — but was, in fact, real — he rushed to the front of the boat and pulled up the anchor.

Jason then moved to the middle of the boat to turn the motor on and shone the torch at the water again to find the giant croc still staring him down, with his head above the surface of the water.

The one that got away: Fisho Jason Charles with a nice barra ... this time around it was he who was nearly the catch of the day. Picture: Supplied

Jason Charles’ boat motor showing the deep teeth marks left in the cover after the terrifying croc attack, and some of the required duct tape running repairs

“I was thinking he was ready to launch himself into my boat,” he said.

In a video Jason shared with the NT News he points out where the croc had bitten his boat motor, leaving scratches and deep teeth marks.

“He’s tried to crawl all up the side here, he’s given it a good red hot go,” he said.

“I’m so glad (the croc) didn’t pull the power lines or fuel line out, then I wouldn’t have been able to move anywhere.”

While reliving the nightmarish encounter, Jason said the horror memory still gave him the jitters.

“I never expected that in my life to happen – you hear these stories but you don’t ever think it’s going to happen to you,” he said.

“Hope it doesn’t happen again.”