Luke’s dream of a life on the sea started while day dreaming in the classroom of that next chance to cast his lure. As a junior angler, he was at the forefront of the Townsville light tackle black marlin fishery being the very first angler to catch a marlin in a tournament there.
Now, many years on from those early days on the water with brother Mat and father John, Luke has carved out a career that has seen him become one of the most respected and successful charter captains on the east coast of Australia.
He began on deck and worked his way up (right up to the tower!) so he is experienced in every facet of the fishing industry.
Starting young
As a young crew member he worked the deck for many of the regular Cairns Giant Black Marlin captains such as future father-in-law Jim Dalling, Greg Edwards, Terry Parker and Bill Billson. His eye for detail, strong work ethic and enthusiasm enabled Luke to lay the foundation for his successful career as one of the youngest captains at the time, getting his first charge at the ripe old age of 21 – leading the next generation of successful skippers to fish the Great Barrier Reef.
Since then, Luke’s gamefishing resume includes being at the helm of The Warrigal, Reef Hunter, Reel Easy, Assegai and most 18 years at the helm of one of the best known gameboats in the Australian fleet over two iterations – the original 47 footer, and the 56 footer launched in 2010.
2024 marked his 39th anniversary on the reef – 39 years of experience for your fishing adventure!
Luke’s Achievements
Best Day Heavy Tackle Marlin: 9 giant black marlin in a day. In 2018 we caught 8 heavy tackle blacks in a day (inc 3 over 700lbs) and 22 blacks in a 4 day period including 7 over 700lbs!
At Fraser Island: In 2017 we caught 25 marlin in 7 days of fishing including 2 grand slams (20 blues, 3 blacks, 2 stripes).
Tournament Wins: Townsville Billfish Challenge, NSW Interclub 2 years running, Port Stephens Billfish Shootout, Innisfail Billfish Tournament and Bermagui Bluewater Classic. Several runner up awards including the prestigious Lizard Island Black Marlin Classic. IGFA Great Marlin Race.
As captain and crew he has landed many giant black marlin close to and above 1000lbs, the biggest being a staggering 1298lbs.
Best Day Barramundi Fishing: 9 barra over 1m in a single session including a very impressive 5 over 1.2m! Luke’s personal best barramundi as an angler are a 1.36m barramundi (impoundment) and 1.31m barramundi (saltwater).