Fisherman Chase McCray reeled in more than he bargained for when he hooked a dangerous creature on the end of his line.

As Chase McCray stares at the end of his fishing line, he appears to be struggling to take in what he’s looking at. You see, while the experienced angler has managed to snag himself a substantial catfish, he’s also dragged a deadly creature out of the depths. And it seems that the cantankerous beast in question won’t be letting go without a fight, either.

But McCray may at least have his fishing knowledge to fall back on during the battle. Yes, judging by his social media, he’s an avid pursuer of the popular pastime. In McCray’s Facebook profile picture, for instance, he can be seen proudly showing off one of his catches, which appears to be one almighty catfish. And the angler has been snapped holding the monstrous water-dweller in one hand as he flashes the camera a small smile.

McCray shares regular updates about his fishing adventures on Twitter, too, where he posts under the username “ChaseThePlayBoy.” In one tweet from July 2019, the angler posted two images of himself holding yet another catch. And to make it clear how much he enjoys life by the water, he captioned the photos, “No place I’d rather be.”

In fact, fishing seems to be so important to McCray that in May 2019 he voiced his desire to find a woman who shared his hobby. Putting the request bluntly, the angler tweeted, “I need a female fishin’ partner.” It’s not clear, however, if someone answered his call for a like-minded lady.

Nevertheless, fishing appears to remain a firm fixture in McCray’s life. In July 2019, then, he set off to follow his passion at Langham Creek in Texas’ Harris County – the very area where he had also happened to go to high school. And while McCray may well be an avid angler, even he may not have have predicted what happened next. You see, on this occasion, the Texan reeled in much more than he was bargaining for.

Bayous are common features throughout America’s Gulf Coast – particularly on the delta of the Mississippi River. This means that both Louisiana and McCray’s home state of Texas are well known for the bodies of water. By definition, a bayou can be an area of marshland or a slow-flowing river or stream, although the term also describes a creek with a current that reverses once a day. And a bayou’s contents are higher in salt levels than freshwater, which in turn creates an ideal environment for some fish and plankton species.

Naturally, then, certain bayous are rich in marine life. And while species living in bayou water will vary from region to region, they may include catfish, shrimp and shellfish. That said, they may also contain crocodiles, alligators, snakes and leeches – meaning anglers need to have their wits about them when fishing there.

So while McCray’s native Harris County boasts the highest population in Texas, there are nevertheless opportunities for fishing enthusiasts like him to get close to nature. And in July 2019 the angler duly chose to escape to a bayou in the northwest of the county. During the trip, however, he got a nasty surprise when he reeled in his catch.

And what McCray found on the end of his line was so bizarre and unsettling that it almost beggared belief. The potentially lethal creature is captured on camera, too, and the resulting footage – which eventually appeared on McCray’s Twitter feed – reveals the fisherman’s incredulous response to the gruesome scene playing out in front of his eyes.

Initially, though, McCray’s video reveals the serene setting of his fishing trip. He is positioned in some long grass at the edge of the bayou, while a folding chair – which no doubt provided some comfort while he waited patiently for a tug on his line – can also be seen in the background. Yet the idyllic location acts in stark contrast to the horror unfolding on screen.

You see, while it’s clear that the angler has hooked himself a pretty substantial catfish, there’s no cause for celebration on his part just yet. Why? Well, as McCray’s footage shows, the fish had already been claimed by something much more fearsome than the fisherman’s line.

Yes, as McCray had pulled the catfish from the depths of the bayou, it quickly became obvious that it was not alone. And in the video that the fisherman subsequently filmed, the beast that has claimed the catch is revealed. Alarmingly, a huge snake has wrapped itself around the fish and already sunk its deadly fangs into its flesh.

Now that McCray has removed the creatures from the water, the catfish flaps its gills as it struggles to breath. Yet the snake refuses to loosen its grip on the ill-fated animal. Indeed, despite being exposed in such a fashion by the angler, the reptile is seemingly undeterred in its endeavor to claim his victim.

So, the snake simply dangles off the end of McCray’s line, holding the catfish firmly between its fangs as the two creatures spin together on the line. Needless to say, it’s a strange sight to behold – and the angler leaves the viewer to look upon it for some time, too.

After a little while, though, McCray turns the camera on himself. Now, he can be seen in a red T-shirt and a floppy sun hat, and he continues to hold on to the fishing rod that hosts the snake and fish. In reaction to the scene, though, all the angler can do is stare at the lens in disbelief. He then throws his unexpected catch another glance, as if to check it’s definitely real.

And in July 2019 McCray chose to share the footage on Twitter. It seems, too, that he took the unnerving incident in good humor, as alongside the incredible clip he wrote, “The things I go through with bayou fishing.” He also added a series of emojis, including two that signify crying with laughter.

It’s perhaps no surprise, either, that the bizarre video took off online, attracting nearly 55,000 retweets and more than 215,000 likes within a matter of weeks. The disturbing clip also provoked a lot of conversation on Twitter, with many of those who had watched the video seeming pretty creeped out by the prospect of reeling in a snake like McCray had.

In a particularly dramatic comment, one Twitter user expressed their intense mistrust of serpents. Making liberal use of the caps key in order to labor their point, they wrote, “Bruuuh, SEE THIS IS WHY I HATE SNAKES!!! THEY ON THE GROUND, THEY IN THE WATER AND THEY IN BE IN THE SKY IN THEM AIRPLANES. NO ONE IS SAFE.”

Echoing similarly worried thoughts, another tweeter recommended that McCray seek out a safer spot from which to fish next time. They advised, “Think about the snakes that you can’t see in the high grass behind your chair. I think I’d fish from the bridge.” Another user agreed, although they recommended instead that the angler cast out from a helicopter next time – just to be safe.

Not everyone who watched McCray’s video was left feeling panic-stricken by what had gone down with the fish and the snake, however. In fact, just like the angler, some saw the funny side of what could have been a highly dangerous situation. And there were plenty of comments poking fun at his uncomfortable catch, too.

One such tweet brought McCray’s fishing technique into question. It read, “Did you use the snake as bait to catch the fish… Or the other way around?” Meanwhile, another commenter joked that there had been some kind of showdown between the angler and his reptilian rival. They wrote, “Y’all looking at each other trying to figure out who gone get the fish.”

A further Twitter user pointed out that McCray had gotten to the catfish just that little bit too late. They wrote, “Yeah, if the snake had hands, they could just play rock, paper, scissors for it… But honestly, the snake did have first dibs.” And another person seemed to agree. As a result, they pointed out, “Looks like the snake beat you to dinner.”

But while some people could empathize with the snake for having its meal rudely interrupted, there was also some sympathy for the catfish. After all, it managed to get caught out twice in one go. One Twitter user wrote, for instance, “It’s a bad day for that fish. Definitely a lose-lose.”

Then, after McCray’s video of the snake and catfish had gone viral, the angler’s story made it into the local media. And in an interview with ABC13 Eyewitness News, he revealed what happened after the camera had stopped rolling. McCray explained, “I took the knife to get the snake off the fish and released the fish… The snake had a few wounds from the knife, but I released it as well.”

Back on Twitter, McCray also confirmed that he had indeed released the catfish before it came to any further harm. In one tweet, he simply revealed, “The fish made it out alive.” Yet the account that the angler gave on Twitter regarding the snake’s fate differed somewhat from what he had told ABC13 Eyewitness News. There, he seemed to suggest that the serpent had in fact come to harm.

That revelation came about after one Twitter user asked McCray, “I want to know what you did after this.” Responding to the inquiry, the avid fisherman said, “I threw the fish back and killed the snake.” The Texan repeated this claim in a separate tweet, too, by writing that he had “killed the snake and released the fish.”

However, McCray faced some backlash on Twitter for claiming that he had killed the snake. One person wrote, “That’s a water snake. It’s non-venomous. It’s a completely harmless snake.” Another user berated the angler by sarcastically tweeting, “Congrats on killing a harmless snake that was just trying to live.”

If the serpent McCray had inadvertently hooked had actually been a water snake, it would indeed have posed little harm to him. As the Twitter user pointed out, the species doesn’t have any venom. And while North American water snakes will bite repeatedly if they feel threatened, and their saliva does contain a weak anticoagulant, any such attacks are not usually fatal to humans.

This species of snake is native to North America and can be found as far north as Ontario and Quebec and as far south as Florida and Texas – where McCray caught his. They prey on all kinds of marine life, too – including fish and frogs – but also hunt small mammals and birds. It’s worth noting, though, that water snakes also have a number of predators themselves – with raccoons, birds, foxes and opossums among them.

And from McCray’s video, it was clear to see that the snake he’d snagged had dark bands and blotches running the length of its body. Yet while these kinds of markings could have identified it as a harmless water snake, they are also associated with more dangerous creatures such as copperheads or cottonmouths – accounting, perhaps, for the angler’s overzealous approach to the serpent.

But despite the criticism McCray faced for how he may have dealt with the snake, he seemed to revel in the attention he received on account of his viral video. After posting the clip of the deadly creature and the catfish, you see, he shared yet more snippets of his angling adventures. And it seems that the Texan was used to reeling in unexpected catches.

Indeed, on the very same day McCray shared the catfish and snake clip, he uploaded a second video. And in this footage, yet another animal is seen flailing around in the water after being hooked. Then a voice – presumably belonging to the Texan – says, “It ain’t no fish, but it’s still a good catch.” And later in the clip, the fisherman reveals exactly what he’s caught, adding, “That’s an alligator snapping turtle.”

Image: Gary M. Stolz/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Just like snakes, alligator snapping turtles are known for their bites, as they have incredibly powerful jaws. The reptiles hunt with their mouths open and lure in unsuspecting prey using their worm-shaped tongues. Then, once they have their victims in place, they snap their jaws shut.

And alligator snapping turtles are opportunistic hunters, meaning they feed off a number of marine animals whether they’re dead or alive. In some cases, they have even been known to eat alligators. As a result, then, these reptiles are extremely dangerous and should be treated with care when handled by humans.

You see, alligator snapping turtles’ jaws are so powerful that they can reportedly bite through broom handles. Alarmingly, there are even stories of people having their fingers chomped clean off by the animals. So, while the creatures don’t appear to have ever killed a human, McCray would nevertheless have to handle the example that he believed he’d found very carefully.

And it seems that McCray did deal with the turtle he’d hooked with sufficient caution. Another video that the fisherman shared shows him holding what looked like a snapper carefully by the shell. Then, with his hands safely out of biting reach of the beast, the angler returns the turtle to the water with one almighty throw.

But while McCray seemed to have a knack for catching unintended creatures, he isn’t the only angler to have reeled in more than they’d bargained for. Writing on Twitter, one social media user revealed, for instance, that they had somehow hooked an alligator. And unlike the Texan with his reptilian catch, they were unable to laugh the incident off.

The person in question wrote, “Bruh, when I was in Texas, I caught an alligator.” Revealing how they’d reacted to their find, the tweeter added, “Man, I threw the whole rod ‘n’ reel in the water… That s**t was prehistoric. I ain’t never seen no s**t like that before, and yo’ ass out here acting like [two crying laughing emojis].”

Yet McCray himself seems to have taken the popularity of his fishing clips as an opportunity to branch out to other social media outlets. Revealing the development on Twitter in July 2019, the angler told his followers, “Y’all go subscribe to my YouTube channel.” And in a bid to tempt people to do just that, he added, “Video dropping soon.”

McCray is yet to add a description to his new YouTube channel; judging by his first upload, though, the page will focus on his fishing adventures. In that initial clip, the Texan believes that he’s hooked another big catch. But, as ever, there’s a twist. This time, he ends up with nothing to show for his work after the unknown beastie snaps his line. And perhaps that’s for the best given the angler’s habit of reeling in terrifying creatures.