Island in the Fence. Iron County, 2006. 30 x 24, acrylic on canvas. I call this place Bear’s Back Island, a name I created for Strike Dog. This site is where the climactic confrontation takes place in the novel. In reality the island has no name and is hardly an island, but it’s real, on the Fence River in northern Iron County, and home to lots of aggressive brook trout. You have to drive a long way, then walk a long way through boulders and tag alders, just to get to the river’s edge. Not a good place for casual fishing.