I'm a firm beleaver in it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. If you go up to a body of water that may have fish it's worth a shot but then you also shouldnt count on it alone. Theres many rivers and ponds around here where you wouldnt catch anything but crawfish but thats not to say that you couldnt find a stream, lake or river with some edible fish in it and you never know where you might have to survive so why not have a small kit that you could at least try.