Poacher stole trout from Norfolk's oldest fly fishing club

Daniel Pask, 60, has pleaded guilty after being caught stealing trout from a lake belonging to Norfolk’s oldest fly fishing club. The court heard that a bailiff spotted him on February 21 leaving the Norfolk Flyfishers’ Club site near Swanton Morley with a landing net full of trout taken from waters with private fishery rights. The Norwich Magistrates’ Court was told the club, founded in 1969, is run on a non-profit basis and manages 20-acre Holkham Lake plus additional lakes and ponds stocked with rainbow and brown trout. Prosecutors said Pask was not among the club’s 170 paying members and had no right to take fish. He was fined £50, ordered to pay £50 compensation, with costs set at £16 due to reliance on disability benefits.