A Bay of Plenty man who decided to save money by not purchasing a fishing licence has ended up paying more than $1000.

The 26-year-old appeared in the Rotorua District Court on Monday charged with fishing with no licence and giving false details.

Judge James Weir fined the man $400 on each charge and ordered him to pay prosecution and court costs.

Eastern Fish and Game officer Anthony van Dorp says the penalties handed down reinforce the fact that fishing without a licence can turn into a very expensive exercise.

In this case the offender's attempt to lie his way out of the fix compounded things, costing him big time, says Anthony.

He says the cost of managing the region's trout fisheries along with the habitat work Fish and Game does for waterfowl and game bird hunting, has to be shared equally across all anglers and hunters.

'Fish and Game doesn't receive any funding from Government and doesn't make any profits, so everything from licences is put back into Fish and Game management.

'Officers have carried out angler checks throughout summer across the Rotorua lakes and it's pleasing to have found the vast majority of anglers doing the right thing.”