A Rotorua man is fined $700 after he plead guilty to two counts of fishing without a licence and using illegal bait.

The 34 year old man was sentenced at the Rotorua District Court on the charges after he was caught with no licence and using bread for bait in the Utuhina Stream in Rotorua.

The illegal fishing occurred in late February and was observed by a Fish & Game officer and a policeman who were working together.

When they apprehended the man he 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,” says Anthony.