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Von Ruden Dam, Wisconsin
Von Ruden Dam on the Tr West Fork Kickapoo River in Wisconsin.
Open in BirdTrout43.724633, -90.789575 · Vernon County · NID WI00947. Tap the map to open this water in the live app.
What the runs do here
Tr West Fork Kickapoo River carries no anadromous run on our corridor map, so this page makes no claim about salmon or steelhead at this dam. What it sits on is coldwater — resident trout water — and the section below says which classification says so.
The structure
- Owner
- Ray Von Ruden Private
- Purpose
- Flood Risk Reduction, Other
- Completed
- 1973
- Type
- Earth
- Height
- 30 ft
- Length
- 350 ft
- Spillway
- Uncontrolled
- Storage
- 60 acre-ft
- Condition
- Not Available · Low hazard potential
From the National Inventory of Dams (USACE). Hazard potential is a downstream-consequence classification, not a statement about the structure's condition.
The water above and below
- West Fork Kickapoo River 0.26 mi from the dam · Class I · wild (WDNR) · typed Cold
- Little LaCrosse River 1.29 mi from the dam · Class I · wild (WDNR) · typed Cold
Coldwater designation is the state's own classification. A dam sits on one river and this list is every designated reach within a mile and a half of it, so a tributary mouth shows up here too.
Water right now
| Gauge | Distance | Temp | Flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Creek at State Highway 21 near Angelo, WI | 16.8 mi | 55.6 °F | 46 cfs |
| La Crosse River @ Cnty Trunk Highwy Bb Nr Tomah,wi | 19.3 mi | 55.9 °F | 76 cfs |
| Stillwell Creek at Sixteenth Court near Tomah, WI | 19.7 mi | 57.7 °F | 2 cfs |
Live from USGS. A gauge miles away is a gauge miles away — the distance column is there so you can discount it. A hydro dam's releases move the flow below it on a schedule the gauge sees and this page does not.
Getting to it
- Jersey Valley Lake Fishing Pier 2.4 mi · walk in · Jersey Valley Lake
- Espe Pond Fishing Stations 7.7 mi · walk in · Espe Pond
Public access sites near the dam, straight-line distance. A dam itself is private property unless its owner says otherwise; these are the places the state lists as open.
Fly shops nearby
- The Driftless Angler 12.6 mi · Viroqua
- American Outfitters 20.8 mi
- Tri State Bait & Tackle 26.6 mi · La Crescent
- River n Ridge Outdoors 32.9 mi · +15635384188