We just got this - it was finally codified.

Sec. 26-31c. Hunting or fishing guide services. Registration. Fee. Exception. Limit on customers in vessel. Regulations. Fine. (a) No person shall conduct hunting or fishing guide services in this state unless such person registers with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Such registration shall be made on a form prescribed by the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection provided such form shall require the listing of such registrant's: (1) Name, (2) residential address, (3) business address, (4) business telephone number, and (5) services offered. The fee for such registration shall be one hundred dollars. Each such registration shall be nontransferable and shall expire on the last day of December next following the date of issuance. For the purposes of this section, "hunting or fishing guide services" means aiding, assisting or instructing any person in the taking of fish or wildlife while in the fields, forests or on the waters of the state in exchange for any form of remuneration. No person shall operate a vessel for the purpose of providing hunting or fishing guide services on navigable waters of the state unless such person has registered with the department as a hunting or fishing guide services provider and holds a current passenger-for-hire license issued by the United States Coast Guard.

(b) The provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall not apply to any user, operator or crew of any vessel registered as a charter boat, party boat or head boat in accordance with the provisions of section 26-142a.

(c) Any person who provides fishing guide services that entail the use of a vessel while taking or landing marine species shall not have more than two customers in such vessel at any given time.

(d) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection may adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to implement the provisions of this section.

(e) Any person who violates the provisions of this section shall have committed an infraction and be fined not more than ninety dollars.

Get caught 6 times? $540 although you would probably get your right/privilege to fish/hunt revoked before it got that bad.

You are not acting as a guide, you are acting as a mentor. The difference is a guide gets paid - they do it for money - a mentor does it for free for the love of the sport and for the desire to pass on skills and knowledge to new hunters or anglers.

Trying to say that if someone chips in for gas or brings sandwiches makes them a paying customer doesn't hold true any more than using that logic if you carpool somewhere with a bunch of friends who chip in for gas or buy your lunch that you are running a taxi or limo service.

I do it for FREE to generate money for a game dinner.

Just taking my friends out for a good time.

I spoke to a Coast Guard commander yesterday and he explained the "guiding from a vessel" law.

If you plan to be a payed, full-blown guiding service you must conform to the law.

A six-pack license will cover you and you get a lovely drug test every 2 years.

Got into it with him as I mentioned our awesome game dinner and the hunts I offer for DONATION. Boy did his panties get in a knot! He said any if any type of payment is involved it might be considered lawless. Really? Come on man! Kind of sh!tty if you ask me.

It's all about liability and money. I'm liable and the government wants more money.

How about I don't offer any hunts anymore at our game dinner?
And god forbid any of you offering to take someone fishing on your vessel!