A Day on the Thornapple: Story Sketching & the Art of Fly Fishing

When artist Jeff Kennedy said that he'd like to come along on the float with guide Allen Campbell of Campbell Outfitters, I secretly hoped that he'd bring his notebook for an on the water sketch.  While that didn't happen during our river float, he did create a fun story sketch after the trip that he's sharing here with some reflections, notes, and background.  Stories told like this are so much fun.  

Jeff wrote...  "I was ecstatic when I received a text from Cameron inviting me to float down the Thornapple River with Allen Campbell on the oars.  It felt like a long time coming.  After years of working with Cameron from afar, with emails and texts, countless collaborations, we had never met face-to-face.  Now, I was going to have a day on the water with him, exploring a river I hadn’t yet fished, sharing a boat with a veteran guide, and doing what I love most: fly fishing and drifting down a river.

For years, we had tried to make this happen, only for prior obligations to get in the way.  But this time, the stars aligned.  Not only would I finally put a face to the name, I’d experience a piece of water that felt both new and promising."

"As an Industrial Designer, one of the most rewarding parts of my job was creating journey maps
— visual stories of how people interacted with a product, or how they went thru their day getting their job done captured through words and sketches.  Sometimes it was as simple as words scrawled on Post-its, arranged in a sequence.  Other times it was rich illustrations capturing moments, thoughts, feelings, and discoveries.  The goal was always to understand a person’s experience more deeply — why they acted, what they felt, and how design shaped their journey.

Today, in retirement, I call this story sketching, and it goes hand in hand with fly fishing.  Both are about paying attention. Both require being present.  Both teach patience and reward practice.

With a fly rod in one hand and a sketchbook in the other, I can capture moments that a camera might miss: the sound of a rising fish, the way morning mist rests just above the surface of the water, the camaraderie between friends.  The pages of a sketchbook carry the sights, the smells, the feel of a day on the river, moments captured with a pen, shaped by emotion, and shaped by experience.

After a memorable float down the Thornapple River, saying goodbye to Allen and Cameron felt bittersweet.  Driving home, I reflected on the moments of the day, the fish we missed and the fish we landed, the laughs shared between strokes of the oars, the quiet spaces between conversations.  The incredible shore lunch.

I pulled over, opened my Field Notes® notebook, and jotted down thoughts and ideas before they could slip away.  The next morning, I pulled out my sketch book and began working.  What I love about this process is how words and images intertwine.  Simple drawings capture moments a camera might miss.  Compositional elements guide the viewer’s eye across the page.  Sometimes the layout evolves into a multi-panel scene, almost like a graphic novel.  Sometimes it doesn’t work as intended, and that’s okay.  It’s about trying, practicing, and growing.

Through story sketching, I can capture moments that photographs can’t. The sound of the river whispering past the boat. The feel of a fly line unfurling across the water. The quiet thrill of seeing a fish rise, the pull on a streamer and the straightening of the line, and the sound of a reel singing as the line goes tight.  A photograph can freeze a scene, but a sketch can carry its heartbeat. Storytelling in this way goes beyond words and images, it’s about emotion, atmosphere, and remembrance. Its about translating sights, smells, and textures into moments that can be felt long after the trip has ended.

Drawing people has never been my strong suit.  But like fly fishing, it’s a discipline that humbles and inspires.  Day after day, I practice — doing quick studies and mastering the lines and gestures that make a person feel real. Viewers notice when something is off, and that pushes me to try harder, to learn more.

Fly fishing is much the same. Each trip is an opportunity to learn, to observe, to understand the water and its currents, to adjust my technique. Both drawing and fly fishing are ways of being present, ways of seeing more clearly, and ways of capturing moments worth remembering.

For me, the best moments aren’t just about the fish we land or the places we travel, it’s about how we remember them.  Story sketching has become more than a hobby; it’s a way to relive moments long after the lines have been drawn, the watercolor washes dried and the pages have been closed.

Through ink and paper, I can capture more than a scene — I can capture its soul.  The sound of a rising fish.  The quiet anticipation between casts.  The friendly chiding from the guide, sharing stories as the river flows by.  A photograph can freeze a moment in time, but a sketch can preserve its movement, emotion, and atmosphere.

Each trip adds another page to the journal, another chapter to the adventure.  Story sketching doesn’t just document where I’ve been, it reminds me why I go.  It blends the sights, sounds, and feelings of a day on the water into a language that speaks long after the trip has ended.

So, if you’re planning an adventure — a day on the river, a journey down a trail, or moments worth remembering, I’d be honored to join you as a "Visual Trip Reporter".  Together, we can capture the story that only your adventure can tell, one line, one stroke, one moment at a time.  After all, every trip has a story worth telling.  And every story deserves a sketch."

Follow along on Instagram to see more Jeff Kennedy's work and follow Campbell Outfitters while you're there, too.