Captain
Phil Rugari

Member since February 2019 Belleair Bluffs, United States
Background
I grew up in FL fishing both coasts. Lived in many states and have had the opportunity to fish in many great places our country has to offer. Moved back to FL a few years ago and have been fortunate enough to have honed my skills as a salt water angler who is now sponsored by Humminbird and Minn Kota along with many other companies in the industry. Fishing is my #1 passion and I know you will have a great time on my boat. I offer a safe, clean charter and I will put you on FISH!
Techniques
Ishore around docks and pilings, nearshore reefs/ bottom fishing and offshore bottom fishing structure. I have many spots that only I know about.

Hey, I'm Captain Phil Rugari

Belleair Bluffs, United States
Background
I grew up in FL fishing both coasts. Lived in many states and have had the opportunity to fish in many great places our country has to offer. Moved back to FL a few years ago and have been fortunate enough to have honed my skills as a salt water angler who is now sponsored by Humminbird and Minn Kota along with many other companies in the industry. Fishing is my #1 passion and I know you will have a great time on my boat. I offer a safe, clean charter and I will put you on FISH!
Techniques
Ishore around docks and pilings, nearshore reefs/ bottom fishing and offshore bottom fishing structure. I have many spots that only I know about.

My Charter Listings

Excellent
5.0 / 5
(91 reviews)
Belleair Bluffs
 Last booking: 5 days ago
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $300
Excellent
5.0 / 5
(2 reviews)
Placida
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $1,200

Fishing Reports

Sharks for everyone!!!
Sharks for everyone!!!
Mar 9, 2020 Belleair Bluffs
Winter fishing in Florida is very hit and miss depending on cold fronts and wind conditions. When you can time the weather correctly you can really get on some nice grouper and the trout bite is FIRE! Larger grouper move in closer to shore in the winter time and many people have luck catching keeper gags either from fishing piers like the skyway or on some of the nearshore ledges and reefs. We have caught gags over 32 inches this past winter with consistency. Inshore fishing is good when the wind dies down, rat reds run around the bays and inland waters and larger trout can be found near grassy flats in 3-4ft of water. As white bait becomes scarce shrimp is always available from the bait shops and will get the nod from every fish that swims. Over the past week we are starting to see a slow down in the wind which is giving us some of our fishing spots back that we cant always fish with 30knot winds. One trip this week we caught 7 bonnethead sharks and twice we were tripled up with them. Rat reds were on the menu and large trout were also biting very good. Sheepshead have been hanging around docks, look for docks with good build up of oysters and barnacles - they will hold fish for sure. Any backwater areas you can find as well that are shallow (less than 2ft) will hold larger reds and big snook. One day we spotted more than 6 snook that were 30+. None took the bait but they were there! Either way tight lines and get out on the water!
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Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
5.0 / 5
out of 5 stars from 93 reviews
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (159)
Great Trip!!!!
Great Trip!!!!
Great Trip!!!!
+156
Angler rating
83
0
0
0
0
Anglers claimed
Good experience
100%
Friendly captain
100%
Recommend this charter
89%
Appropriate for children
97%
Satisfied with the boat
100%
Caught fish
99%
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Showing:
5 of 93 reviews
Dean C.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Great trip

VERIFIED   Half Day โ€“ Inshore/Nearshore (AM) on August 7, 2025
Capt Phil was awesome. Boat was clean and fast and he had us on fish for most of the day. Appreciated the home dock pickup...
Dean C. recommends Suncoast Expeditions โ€“ Clearwater Fishing
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Dean C. recommends Suncoast Expeditions โ€“ Clearwater Fishing
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Matthew P.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Great Time, Lots of Fish!

VERIFIED   Half Day โ€“ Inshore/Nearshore (AM) on July 12, 2025
We had a wonderful time and caught so many fish.ย  This was a charter for our 8 year oldโ€™s birthday and he really wanted...
Matthew P. recommends Suncoast Expeditions โ€“ Clearwater Fishing
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Matthew P. recommends Suncoast Expeditions โ€“ Clearwater Fishing
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Greg B.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Fishing with Phil

VERIFIED   NEW  Full Day โ€“ Inshore/Nearshore on December 5, 2025
Greg B. recommends Suncoast Expeditions โ€“ Clearwater Fishing
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  Phil Rugari Captain replied

Brandi S.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Wow! What an incredible Family Memory!

VERIFIED   Kids Fishing Trip! 3hrs on July 13, 2025
Memories that will last a lifetime as captain Phil took us on our first family fishing trip! My sonโ€™s first fish he caught...
Brandi S. recommends Suncoast Expeditions โ€“ Clearwater Fishing
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Brandi S. recommends Suncoast Expeditions โ€“ Clearwater Fishing
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Tim N.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Great trip

VERIFIED   Half Day โ€“ Inshore/Nearshore (AM) on July 9, 2025
We had a great time on our half day trip today.ย  Phil had us on a variety of fish all morning, kicking out the inland slam.ย ...
Tim N. recommends Suncoast Expeditions โ€“ Clearwater Fishing
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Tim N. recommends Suncoast Expeditions โ€“ Clearwater Fishing
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