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In the very beginning, the author states that there was no clear line between fishing and religion. What does this mean? Does this mean that...

I suppose that you could interpret the quote in a way that shows fishing and religion are equal in status.  I don't think it is necessary to think that way though.  I believe that the quote isn't meant to have the reader think the two are equal.  I think the quote is meant to highlight their similarities.  


The narrator explains that both religion and fly fishing are life long endeavors.  Neither is ever...

I suppose that you could interpret the quote in a way that shows fishing and religion are equal in status.  I don't think it is necessary to think that way though.  I believe that the quote isn't meant to have the reader think the two are equal.  I think the quote is meant to highlight their similarities.  


The narrator explains that both religion and fly fishing are life long endeavors.  Neither is ever totally mastered, but both are practiced daily, weekly, monthly, etc.  To be a devout religious person, it involves study, emotional desire, and practice.  Metaphorically, it involves the head, heart, and hands.  Fly fishing is like that.  It's not enough to know the motions.  You have to practice the motions.  It's not enough to like fishing, you have to study and practice it to get better at it.  


I like the end of the quote in question as well. It explains that the narrator's father learned the craft of fishing and taught it to others. He's also the minister who obviously teaches others about his religion. His religion is Christianity, which is full of fish references. Christ himself told his disciples (several of them were fishermen) that he would make them "fishers of men." To the main characters in the novel, fishing and religion are so closely intertwined that it is impossible to separate one from the other.  


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