Some 378 of those were successful, with fines totalling £62,190. The average fine handed out was £165.
The prosecutions were brought by the Environment Agency (EA), who also issued 26 cautions in the West Midlands during the year.
Anglers need a rod licence to fish in most rivers in Britain. But they also need to follow a number of rules.
Offences that can constitute “illegal fishing” include attempting to catch fish in a prohibited area, fishing for coarse fish or eels with more than four rods and lines at the same time, leaving an unattended rod and line in the water, fishing for salmon during the close season, and fishing for trout other than with an artificial fly or lure.
The data, provided by the EA, shows all prosecutions in courts in England.
Overall, this is a decrease compared to the previous year, when 2,407 prosecutions were concluded, of which 2,330 were successful. The total amount of fines collected in 2016/17 was £335,886.
In 2017/18 the Environment Agency also sent 160 cautions, up from 120 in 2016/17.