We had no idea what to expect being our first time using a guide in Big Bear and we were pleasantly surprised. We took our twin 8 year olds on their first fishing experience and they had a tremendous time. Matt was our guide and he was extremely helpful and patient with the girls. We caught a ton of fish. At least twenty fish landed. Matt knew exactly where to go and each pass we had "fish on". The boat had all the needed equipment and it was very comfortable. If you understand it's a fishing boat not a pleasure craft you'll be very satisfied. I can't say enough about Matt, our guide. He was always on top of everything and made sure the girls had the best first time experience. Highly recommend. read more

We were on the lake with Matthew this past Saturday, and we had a fantastic time. The fish were biting big time, and Matthew was a pleasure to have as our guide. He has a warm personality and is very knowledgeable about the local wildlife. The reservation process through Scott was also great. We highly recommend Cantrell. read more

Cantrell Guide Service - Almost 2 1/2 pounds! - Fishing Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

I know next to nothing about fishing and was about to rent a boat and try fishing on our own, but decided at the last minute to go with a guide instead. Best decision of our Big Bear trip. Great time out on the water with Scott today. Family of 5 with two teens and a 4 year old. Scott is incredibly knowledgeable, patient with the kiddos, easy to talk to, and attentive to the group. Caught way more fish than we needed, so the kids were able to catch and release for the whole second half of our time on the water. read more

We had most fun fishing experience. We took our 13 yr. Old grandson fishing with Cliff from Cantrell Fishing! What a fun, memorable and safe day! He caught 5 rainbows and a small mouth bass. Cliff cleaned them for us and they made a mighty-fine dinner! We all had a great time- even our Maltipoo Charlie. read more

Cantrell Guide Service - Fishing on Big Bear Lake w Cliff from Cantrell Fishing. - Fishing Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

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What an amazing experience, I took 3 teenage boys and my husband....we had a blast. The lake was gorgeous and the pontoon boat was so spacious and relaxing. I learned so much about fishing and the lake. Price is very reasonable for everything Cantrell's Guide service provides. We caught 12 beautiful Trout, and used his delicious oven recipe! read more

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I took my sons fishing and we were lucky to get Matt. He was informative, kind, and a wonderful communicator with them. We would definitely come back read more

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Such an amazing experience! We got to learn about the lake and fish and how to fish! Best of all... WE CAUGHT 6 TROUT! Definitely recommend! 10 stars if I could! read more

Cantrell Guide Service - Fishing Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

I wanted to give a big shout out to Matthew and Scott from Cantrell Fishing. Communication from start to finish was spot on, however, the fish could have bitten a bit more! They mentioned the day before they were able to catch 13 trout, and the evening slots were doing better. However we did hook up about a half dozen, and reeled in 4 that we cooked up and ate! I love that everything was included in the trip, the boat, fuel, rods/reels, and tackle, etc. Everything was setup to troll off the back and catching them proved to be a bit more difficult than we had hoped. But overall with our guide Matthew he provided a wonderful experience, since being a longtime resident he knew the ins and outs of just about everything in Big Bear Lake. Overall a great experience and memories my family will cherish always. Thank you!!! read more

If I could rate Cantrell Guide Service 10 stars, I would!! Our family of 2 adults and 2 boys (ages 9 and 13) decided our best bet of catching any fish was to hire a fishing charter company. I went on Yelp and stumbled across Cantrell Guide Service's 5 star reviews. I made a phone call, and within an hour we had everything booked and ready to go for the next day. We didn't need any fishing gear as everything was included in the quoted price...all we needed were fishing licenses for anyone over 16 years old that would be participating. Once we arrived, we had the absolute pleasure of having Cliff as our captain/guide! This man has so much knowledge, patience, charm, and a true CRAFT for fishing! He taught all of us about Big Bear Lake, the types of fish, how the fish move about the lake, the wind patterns, and how to know where the fish might be. My two kiddos caught 4 fish that day and it is a core memory for them! We spent 3 AMAZING hours out on the lake fishing, chatting, and enjoying the scenery! Cliff sat down our boys and explained everything he was doing, how to use the fishing pole, and he was front and center the minute a fish bit! He let our boys do all the hard work reeling in each fish, and he was within arms length should they need anything. He was encouraging and genuinely proud of them for catching their first fish! At the end of our tour we came back to the dock for photos and cleaning of the fish (all of which Cliff did for us as we wanted to take home the fish for cooking). He gave each of our boys a golden fish hook for their hat which was a special moment that these boys will cherish forever! I hope Cliff sees this review as I want to say THANK YOU again! It was an honor for our family. If anyone is thinking about hiring Cantrell Guide Service, what are you waiting for?! You will not regret it read more

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Scott and Matt were so friendly and gave the best service! Matt was a great guide and gave lots of fun info about the lake and city. The fish were being picky so we didn't catch anything but it still was a great day to enjoy the sun and water. Thank you again! read more

We have fished with Scott for the last 4 years in June. He is the most knowledgeable local guide and goes above and beyond to make sure you catch fish. Highly recommend!!! read more

Our guide Matthew on 6/7/24 was extremely helpful, patient and welcoming. His knowledge of the local town and especially the fish in the lake was evident and conversation was so pleasant. Anyone with family to a serious angler should not hesitate to book this service! read more

Cantrell Guide Service - Fishing Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

Our guide Cliff was amazing! He made the trip very special as we added my dad who has stage four cancer to our charter after we originally booked. He was very prepared, friendly and we caught five fish which for summer water is pretty great! We will definitely be coming back read more

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The booking process was simple. Good communication throughout. The time on the boat was even better than expected. 4/30/2022 Not much other boat traffic at all. Scott is professional and personable. I felt safe and entertained on the boat. My friends had blast! Did we catch fish? .... Yes! 5 beautiful trout. It was sooo exciting and beautiful. Scott gave us interesting information about the lake. I felt like we took a tour and fishing trip. I had high expectations and the trip was better than I imagined. read more

Cantrell Guide Service - Our biggest trout-Great trip! - Fishing Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

Everything went smooth with this company with booking this experience with Scott (the owner ) to an actual day of fishing. Our guide was Cliff, I can't say enough good things about Cliff, he is very knowledgeable, kind and very good with kids. We had a blast, we managed to catch so much fish in 3 hours. My daughter had so much fun and she is already asking to go back to Big Bear Highly recommend this company Thank you Cliff!!! read more

Had a great time with my son. Cliff was our guide and taught us a lot about the area and seasonal fishing I big bear read more

Cantrell Guide Service - Two of the five fish we caught with cliff - Fishing Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

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This is my first time fishing and I would definitely recommend this place. We had a great guide Matt, who taught us how to do fishing and helped us to clean the fish after we done. Me and my friends are satisfied with the trip. read more

Cantrell Guide Service - Fish - Fishing Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

Scott is the Bomb.Com!! You will always catch fish with Scott and his Crew!!

Excellent service, knowledgeable about fishing and Big Bear Lake history. The pontoon boats are clean and comfortable and provide shade from the summer sun. Make your reservation for a fun day of fishing and fresh air read more

Rainbow trout is what's for dinner tonightThank you so much John for an amazing morning of being out on Big Bear Lake fishing. We all had a really great time and you thought us quite a bit about fishing and the history of the area. A must do activity on Big Bear Lake read more

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Head the best time on the water with Scott yesterday. He was extremely patient with us and our 4 kids. We learned a lot about the lake, the fish, and how to Fish but we mostly just had a great time catching all the fish! We already can't wait for our next fishing trip! read more

Cantrell Guide Service - Fishing Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

Had a great day with Cantrell. Went out for 2 hours with my nine year old. Friendly guide without being overbearing. Really knows the lake well. Made sure everyone was safe but still having a good time. Will be back read more

Cantrell Guide Service - Trying to take a fish photo - Fishing Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

Amazing amazing! Just know that they are the best. Used this company twice for charter fishing and had an amazing experience both times. Caught 6 fish the last time. read more

I've been on quite a few fishing trips. Scott was probably the best guide I've had. Super knowledgable and detailed plus super fun and laid back. Great with good fishermen as well as complete newbies and young fishers. We caught almost our limit half-way thru so he pulled out the fly-fishing rods and he taught our newbies how to fly-fish (and we caught our biggest trout of the day). The whole time he gave us a history and tour of Big Bear. Fantastic trip, I highly recommend. Thanks Scott! read more

What a great time! Four of us went out on a three hour fishing charter and everyone caught a trout. Our guides were awesome and helped all of us amateurs catch fish. Three of us caught our first fish ever read more

Cantrell Guide Service - Fishing Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

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What a fantastic experience. We called a bunch of other places and found Cantrell to have the best prices and the best customer service. John and Tyler were great with our three kids- they helped with the lines, catching the fish and they even helped us get them ready to eat! I highly Recommend!! Thanks again for a great experience. read more

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If there where 10 starts I would give him 10.... This was our first time on a fishing charter we had John as our captain for 2.5 hrs very last min on 4th of July weekend 3 toddlers and an 11 year old and 4 adults ! We had a blast!!!! The kids had a blast ! And they caught 2 fish , one each He was so sweet and kind very knowledgable !!!! Very accommodating even with all the little ones on the boat We will definitely be back next year !!!! Highly recommend him Ps when calling around looking for charters other company's would give us his info there's a reason for that !!! Ps. we rode the boat sat 07/2 we came back to the the pine knott landing on 7/4 where Cantrell parks his boats. We went back to rent jet skis we were waiting for our turn and John came over and invited us to wait in the shade on his boat ! He is such a kind hearted man! great customer service! read more

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John was rude, hostile and unprofessional. We picked his company based on all the positive yelp reviews - but our experience with John was awful. What is really odd is that our 2 hours experience with John is exactly like the user who gave John a 3 star - down to the last word. John was grumpy, rude, annoyed every time we asked him a question and essentially mean to our 3 small children. When my father asked him a question, he gave a preachy sarcastic answer and was so hostile. At one point, he started calling his friends on the phone and had 2 separate phone conservations during our paid 2 hours charter. We thought it was so unprofessional. Not sure why the other Yelp reviews are so different from our experience with John. Maybe he's a racist. I would warn anyone thinking of chartering with John - if he starts to act hostile towards you during the fishing trip - don't be afraid to stand up to him and set things right. It is not ok to pay $220 for 2 hours of hostility. This man and his company should not be in business. read more

We had Scott, who is a fantastic person to spend some time and hang out on the water with. Fishing is tough right now, just off the back of a thunderstorm, but Scott tried every trick in the book to get us on the fish. He's been fishing Big Bear for decades and knows exactly where the fish are during the various times of the year. You can tell Scott genuinely enjoys what he does, and makes it his mission to make sure everyone has a good time out on the water - he also was great at dealing with kids and kept my 9yr old boy engaged throughout. Can't imagine there's a better charter to go with. Will def. Be back, and hope to get Scott again next time. read more

Cantrell Guide Service - Fishing Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

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Booked the charter for 2 hrs for my husband and 2 of our kids. They had a blast with Gleb, they didn't catch any fish :-( but 2 hrs probably isn't enough time. Either way the kids had a blast since it was a first time for them to ride on a charter boat. Gleb was super friendly and funny. He even let me son sit behind the stirring wheel for a second. That really made his summer! I would book with them again, maybe longer next time :-) read more

Cantrell Guide Service - Fishing Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

Gleb and Chris P. Were awesome. Super funny and chill. I'd definitely recommend asking for them by name if you want to have fun fishing and joking around on the lake. Great job walking the line between being super professional and super fun! -your newest fan... Mia. read more

Cantrell Guide Service - 3 generations on the lake! - Fishing Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

Just got back from Big bear this past weekend. Cliff and John have a great service here. Called John a few weeks ahead of time to book a trip for 8. No problems there; sounded extremely friendly. John was out that weekend so we got Cliff as a guide. He's extremely knowledgeable and had no problems answering any questions we had concerning all types of subjects. There was another guy on board that helped out with the trip. He was also friendly and helpful with fishing. None of us have ever trolled before (at least on the water) so we could use all the help we could get. There were times we weren't catching any fish so they even kept changing out lures and such. My group had a lot of fun. Hope you had a blast driving that R8 Spyder, Cliff! You lucky sob. read more

We had a great time fishing with Captain Cliff and Corey this week. Cliff spent a lot of time teaching the kids about the lake and Big Bear and they loved it. Corey was so good and patient with our kids ranging in age from 8 to 12. Slow day for fishing but our daughter caught a huge trout and that made everyone's day! Being out on the lake for two hours with this crew was worth every penny! Thanks Cantrell Guide Service for helping make our trip to Big Bear so fun! read more

Cantrell Guide Service - Fishing Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

My boyfriend and I was just in Big Bear last week and fishing was def in our itinerary. We both have been very unlucky with fishing so my boyfriend was determined to catch some fish that weekend. The weather didn't want to cooperate with us but Master Guide Cliff and Keith insisted that it would be OK. Cliff and Keith was so pleasant and our 3 hours experience with them was amazing and memorable. Cliff and Keith took us out of our city people environment to mountain people in no time and we caught a total of 8 fish that day! read more

Cantrell Guide Service - My very first fish! - Fishing Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

Thank you John and Chris for my first fishing experience! If you want lots of laughs, jokester John is your guy! Such a fun day on the lake. Also very knowledgeable with what's going on in Big Bear. Will definitely be booking my next charter with you guys again. read more

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We are with Scott thank you for his detailed guide! He showed us around the lake working as a tour guide. Maybe due to the windy weather we got no luck for fish! I can tell he tried his best but things happen. Although we did not get the fish but we still feel worth to pay for his guidance. read more

I can't suggest this enough to everyone! Cliff was our guide and he was awesome. He taught us how to use all the gear and we got to be hands on. Also he told us facts about big bear and also fishing that we didn't know! It was a great experience and this is a tour that is now a must for our summer vacation! We caught so many fish and got to keep them. Cliff even cleaned them for us. We appreciated how kind he was. And also how he really taught us and made the experience so much more enjoyable! read more

Truly wonderful. John and Cliff make it a very enjoyable experience. I told them that we were city folk and I asked whether they would make us love fishing. They said they would and we did end up loving the experience. I think that we would only enjoy fishing with them though. They make it easy, or should I say, they make it look easy. We were happy with the 9 fish we caught but then our daughter caught the big mama - a 23 inch, 4.5 pound trout (see pictures). They are really good people. Highly recommended! read more

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My dad and I went out with Scott about two weeks ago and we had a great time. We caught 12 fish and had a great time talking to Scott and learning about the lake. read more

Scott took our family out on a beautiful day. It was my kids first time fishing and Scott made it a memorable one. Great conversation, excellent fishing knowledge, and we caught plenty of fish, including three at once to end a great day on the lake! Looking forward to coming back next trip. Thank you for making our trip a great one! read more