Cantrell Guide Service

Amazing trip out well worth the money Conner and Jordan where amazing my kids had a blast well worth the money you won’t be disappointed!

My first fishing trip ever with the best guides on Big Bear Lake! Thank you Captain Cliff and Travis for my very first fish catch ever! And my sons first catch ever. Not to mention the 4 pound rainbow trout my partner lured in! Cliff was a font of information and a well of entertainment. We will be back for sure!

Made some great memories with family on this trip! It doesn’t get any better than this, and I can’t say enough good stuff about Cantrell Guide Service. We went fishing after a big trout tournament and both of my young girls caught a couple of 3 pounders!

With the recommendation of our friend TV fishing show host Dan Hernandez, we went out with John and his deckhand Connor, for a four hour guided fishing trip. They both greeted us and helped us with our equipment to his pontoon boat, explained everything to us what will be doing and what to expect. The boat was comfortable and spacious, they provided us with snacks and water and room in the ice chest for our own beverages. John gave us information not only on fishing techniques, but the history of Big Bear Lake, key landmarks and certain facts of the lake. Throughout the entire time, Connor, the deckhand, was constantly checking and changing lures trying different things to get the fish to bite. Both John and Connor answered any questions we had. Fishing was a bit slow, we caught two of the three fish we hooked. But we had a great time. Like legendary sportfishing skipper, Bill Poole used to say, «We can’t control the fishing or the weather, but we can provide the best service we can.» Which I think John did. I can see why John is the longest and number one guide on the lake. I wouldn’t hesitate going out with him again.

Absolutely the best fishing in Big Bear! Our 4 year old son caught his first 2 fish almost within 30 minutes. They were huge rainbow trout. Staff is extremely kind and knowledgeable. They also have the only boats with enclosures, which makes the trip extremely comfortable no matter the weather outside. Also it makes it perfect for families. Do not waste your time anywhere else. We will be back to see Jon and his crew every visit to Big Bear!

John Cantrell has been donating his services for the past several years to the United Stares Adaptive Recreation Program. The USARC is a non profit organization that provides outdoor recreation to individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities. John always comes out with a great attitude and always comes back with a catch. Our participants love it!!!

Captain John was great. Very friendly and accommodating. We were a last minute reservation due to weather but he was more than happy to help us out. We also arrived a bit late due to having to get licenses but they were very patient with us.
Overall I was happy with the trip.

Brought a novice fishing friend up to our cabin. She wanted to catch trout. We were planning to fish from the shore. Went to get bait at the marina and it was closed. Someone working At the marina said to check with Captain John at the end of the dock. We ended up chartering a two hour excursion with him. Had a great experience with Cantrell’s Guide Service. Captain John and Gleb helped us catch trout, while entertaining us with lake facts and clean jokes. The boat was clean with plenty of room to move around. It has a roof to keep you from getting sunburned and can be fully enclosed if it’s a cold or windy day. These features along with the great guys made for a successful fishing trip. We had trout for dinner! What a gem to happen upon. This would be a great experience for kids. If your planning a family trip to Big Bear, take your kids to fish (and catch) with Cantrell’s.

Wow, Did my family get lucky with this amazing fishing charter. John was amazing, and made sure my children had a great experience on the lake. We were there Labor day weekend, and the amount of boats, personal watercraft on the lake was somewhat overwhelming, but John knew where to go to get away from the crowd, and find fish for my elementary school kids to catch. Me too! Beautiful scenery, Clean boat, GREAT local information about the lake. I highly recommend!

As many other reviews have said, Gleb and Chris P are the best! We had a group of six and two small dogs for a 9 am fishing trip. They were so knowledgable and helpful, they set up all of the rods for us and gave us a run through of how it works. We asked a million questions and they answered us patiently and had us laughing from beginning to end. They got jokes and stories for days and Chris is a mountain of random trivia.
I don’t know what else to say except that if you’re considering fishing in big bear, these are the guys to go with!

We really enjoyed our fishing trip. Our 9-​year-​old daughter Jenna loves to fish, and Gleb and Chris were so wonderful with her. They are outgoing and friendly, and always patient. The boat was great and the ride was enjoyable. One thing to be aware of though, is that you won’t be casting– this is trawling. Caught a few fish and had fun. Very good value.

What great fishing experiences! They know the lake. They know the fish. And John knows great jokes! Gleb is so fun and such a pro. I had 3 crazy little boys and they had the BEST time. Cannot recommend these guys enough.

Cantrell Fishing and Guide Service was recommended to us. My family and I just wanted a nice relaxing day on the water and hoping to catch a few fish. We had the nicest day. The boys Connor and Travis were so sweet and accommdating to us «city folk». I really appreciate how mature they were. I highly recommend Cantrell.

John you always find the fish. 140 trout in 4 days while the other guide services were just scatting around. No wonder your number 1. Your deck hand Gleb was great. Look forward to seeing you next month. Your the best.

I would recommend using this guide service to anyone visiting Big Bear that wants to get out on the Lake and hook up some Rainbow Trout. The team is made up of very experienced, knowledgeable and friendly guides. My wife and I had a good time today!

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.

Excellent fishing trip. My family had fun and we caught lots of fish! Definitely will call these guys again next time we’re staying at Big Bear Lake.

Cliff and Gleb are fantastic! Went out in dead of summer where fish should be hard to find. They had us constantly hooked up. Between 6 of us we landed 12 and lost 4 – 5.
Great guys, really know the history and are awesome guys to go fishing with. I highly recommend Cantrells.

John and Gleb were great. John was very informative and a class captain. Gleb was awesome with the kids. Took in 6 rainbow trout and was well worth the price to see the kids catch their first fish. Definitely would recommend to anyone looking to catch fish in Big Bear Lake!

These guys were fantastic. We had a morning out on the lake… good weather, nice people, and really wonderful day with the family. And almost as important — really successful! About 4 hours out and left with 9 beautiful lake-​spawned Rainbow Trout. When we come back, we won’t bother to call anyone else for good fishing…