Two Western Australian fishermen were having a peaceful morning wetting a line until a giant catch appeared.

A four-metre great white shark got a little too close for comfort.

After 10 minutes circling Mr Marshall and Paul Marriott's boat in Catherine Bay, four kilometres off Rottnest Island, the predator suddenly turned aggressive.

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"It was quite daunting actually," fisherman Jordan Marshall said.

The pair filmed the close encounter on camera.

"Holy s–t — that is a beast… oh he's going at the motor — sheesh woah, yeah f–k," one said.

Mr Marriott said they felt scared as the shark "was right there looking at us".

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Still – the fishermen were in no rush to escape.

"He was a bit more game than me, patting the water and doing that kind of stuff," Mr Marshall said, of his friend.

Mr Marriott said he was "angling a couple of mullets trying to get him up close".

But it didn't take the bait.

"We'd tucked into a couple of beers by then so we sort of let him go off and do his own thing," Mr Marriott laughed.

The pair returned to shore without a scratch but boasting a shark tale they'll never forget.