Bread Fishing for Trout Earns Big Fine

Fish & Game officers say the latest fines handed down for trout fishing with no licence and using bread for bait - sends a strong message to would-be poachers.

A 34 year old Rotorua man has appeared in the Rotorua District Court and fined a total of $700, after pleading guilty to two counts - fishing without a licence and using illegal bait.

The court heard that he had been caught in late February by a Fish & Game officer and a police officer working together. He had been fishing the Utuhina Stream in Rotorua, and was in possession of a freshly caught rainbow trout.

A community magistrate fined him $500 for fishing without a licence and a further $200 for fishing with illegal bait.

Fish & Game Officer Anthony Van Dorp says the sentence signals clearly that it’s simply not worthwhile to fish illegally – with the courts showing they take the matter seriously.

“It’s cheaper by far in the long run to buy a licence and fish using legal methods.”