My question involves criminal law for the state of: Maine
First, my story.
I am a student who lives in Connecticut. Since it is the summer break and I had been taking summer classes I am quite strapped for cash. With the new semester right around the corner and a little bit of time between the summer and fall classes, I decided the little block of time I had off would be an excellent time for a mini vacation, funds permitting. A few of my friends and I decided on a camping trip - fun, great potential for adventure, and almost free since my car is very good on gas. We eventually ended up in Maine, close to the NH border.
We were in the state for about 48 hours total. The infraction came sunday morning at our campsite. As we were clearing up camp, a ranger came to our site to ask for ID since people had been leaving litter etc, at the sites and wanted to make sure they were cleaned, or at least they had someone to point the finger at if they weren't. I complied without any problem, and we started to small talk - stories about our little adventure, the weather, etc.
Eventually she mentioned fishing - I said we had tried a little bit (pond nearby labeled for it) but never even had a nibble let alone come close to catching anything. She said a few more things then asked to see our fishing licenses. We had none, and she said we would be fined.
I tried to argue that one, we never had any intention of keeping or eating anything we caught, just releasing them back (which was what I thought the rules for fishing without a license were in CT, although I do not know that for certain), two, we were here for a short weekend and were unaware that we needed a license to just cast off into a pond, and most importantly, that our efforts were entirely futile - essentially we just cast off several times then gave up.
My questions are as follows. Firstly, is she justified in issuing this citation? She never actually saw us fishing, saw any poles (at the time they were locked in the trunk) or had any evidence of us fishing other than what I had said to her. Upon researching some of the park laws, we learned that much of her small talk seemed to have an secondary motive (asking about where we got our firewood and if we cut it down, two major violations in maine apparently, and also when my friend asked what the rules on possession of firearms were in the forest for self defense, she seemed far more interested in seeing if we had any than in letting us know the rules).
More importantly, is there anything I can do about it other than pay full on? The citation is for $175, an absurd price for fishing without a license when I did nothing more than cast off into a pond. If I choose to fight it, is there any defense I could use other than ignorance? And more importantly, if I send my non guilty plea with a letter explaining my issue, is it possible to avoid the 5 hour drive up to Portland? If I was completely in the wrong, I have no issue paying the fine, its just that given my financial situation, any kind of reduction of the fee would be an enormous help. Its to the point that driving the 10 hours round trip is almost less of a hassle than trying to figure out how to get that money together.
Any imput would be greatly appreciated, and if this is the wrong thread for this, my apologies. (also sorry for the novel of a post)

