A 60-year-old man in Australia’s Queensland state fought off a huge crocodile with just his pocket knife when he was attacked by the beast while he had gone fishing near his home.

According to a report in the Independent newspaper, the crocodile had grabbed the man’s leg and dragged him under water.

The man was attacked by the crocodile at a remote part of croc-infested McIvor river near Hope Vale, Cape York, last Wednesday.

He found himself a good fishing spot and was attempting to "shoo away a bull standing on the banks of the river,” the Department of Environment and Science (DES) said in a statement.

But as he was getting ready to cast his fishing line, a crocodile charged out of the water and grabbed his leg.

"He described clutching a branch of a mangrove tree and holding on as long as he could while the animal attempted to pull him into the water by his boots," it added, according to ABC News

The man said that as he entered the water, he managed to retrieve the pocket knife from his belt and kept repeatedly stabbing the reptile on its head until it loosened the grip.

The man then scrambled up the river bank and drove himself to Cooktown Hospital with injuries on his leg. He was later flown to Cairns Hospital where he is being treated.

The DES said that the reptile might have been attracted to the bull on the spot.

The agency inspected the man for injuries and confirmed that the bite marks were consistent with the attack.