‘I was hanging right over the side of the boat because I was trying to look in the dirty water to see what the fish was caught on,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
Describing the close call in a post on his Cape York Guide to Explore, Hunt and Fish Facebook page, Mr Stack said what happened over the next few seconds ‘felt like a lifetime’.
‘First, I saw a bit of silver, then I saw my lure with the fish’s mouth wide open,’ he said.
‘I lifted the leader some more and leaned over further to see what the fish was hooked up on. It was at this moment, I realised I was staring eye to eye with a solid salt water crocodile.
‘We were face-to-face and no more than 20 inches (51cm) apart. Fright kicked in, I released the leader and flew backwards into the boat.’