A fisherman bravely cut a six-foot-long crocodile free from a net with his fingers just inches away from its gnashing jaws.

David Leigh of Fair Dinkum Fishing Charters was leading a tour through Townsville, Australia, on April 16 when he felt something pulling strongly on one of his casts.

Dramatic footage shows the prehistoric predator trying to death roll the net as David slowly lifted the animal closer to the boat.

David fearlessly grabbed a pair of pliers and despite his hands being just centimetres from the crocodile’s sharp teeth, quickly cut the net free allowing the animal to fall back into the water.

David said: “I’ve been fishing on the river all my life but have never caught a crocodile before.

“I had unintentionally thrown the net over the croc and it got its front teeth caught. This is why we nicknamed it ‘the tooth fairy’.

“It kept death rolling and thrashing so got more and more stuck so it gave me a bit of a fright as I thought how to release it safely.

“Fortunately we have pliers onboard and I managed to cut the net free pretty quickly.”