Kev, There is a couple of different licenses required for guiding. Rivers and Lakes: you will need either a steelhead license wich is 180$,or a salmon license wich is 150$, or both. In either case you are required to have a USCG 6 pack license, wich by the way are not hard to come by, you just have to go to school for it, Lick the maritime acadamy in ballard. Now as for salt water, you still need the USCG license, but , you cannot buy a charter license anymore, unless you buy out a charter business wich would probly cost you your first born child, your house and your left nut because they are not cheap! Plus it costs 400-500$ a year just to renew it each year! I hope that I explained it to you good enuff to understand. And by the way, If a Coasty came up on me while fishn and asked if my friends bought gas of food, or what ever, I would just say "Nope".