trappers, pulled my first fisher tag this year and looking for some advise. Any WI legal sets that are tried and true? I heard fisher are pretty aggressive and any meat lure will do the trick but dirt hole set? leaning pole set? What's your opinion?

They are pretty easy to catch. A 220 in a cubby will work fine if it's legal, but I've caught many with a #2 size trap in a baited cubby as well. It's like catching a big weasel . They will step on an exposed trap, no problem.

My most productive sets are—find a blow down on a ridge line, along water or an edge of conifers—the blow down was best for me. I then placed bait , fist size chunk of beaver against or under a piece of the log or hvy limb, smeared castor on top of same, then smeared a skunk LCL 6ft off the ground where the caught fisher and I did not get into it. Had a squirt bottle of fish juice or oil and squirted it out from the trap as far and in a fan type pattern. Used either a #2 dbls or a 1 3/4 coil.
Location is VERY important.

Fisher will follow the lay of the land, the swales, all along the tag alder line where the ridge bottom meets swamp. I trap swale bottoms and edges. And drainages and flowages.

I've had much better luck trapping them on the ground, when snow isn't a big issue and I use mostly cubbies and flashy dirt holes, but you'll catch them in almost any set that they find. Around here, I look for thick spruce and hemlock with lots of blowdowns and small thick growth. The edges between evergreens and hardwoods, along/around beaver ponds, especially the active ones, can be good locations. They seem to follow streams for some distance at times too. I've caught them up on open hardwood ridges, but I generally look for the thick stuff.

Beaver is my favorite bait, but they are attracted to most meat and fish baits and they're fond of sweets, too. A little skunk essence as a LDC can be helpful.

Don't be in a hurry to pull unproductive sets either, it can take a while for a fisher to make It's rounds. Congrats on the tag and good luck.

thanks for the info everyone, with all of WI rules for trapping with 220's I might just stick to a leaning pole set with some beaver meat and a LDC. I have a great location in mind with some hard woods/pines surrounded by a marsh and last year my buddy had one run past him while deer hunting. Oct 20th cant come fast enough. thanks again

[quote=joepennanti]Are WI fisher "prime" Oct 20th ?

Our season starts during the end of October, too. I think a lot of the trappers around here would like to see it open a little later, but it falls on deaf ears.

I just noticed you're from NY, too.LOL

Dont know long of a season you have Dec fur will be MUCH better,if your going to tan your first the early fur will be fine for that.Ground cubbies here work well as well as leaning poles.Beaver meat or grouse,works well.Skunk smell later in winter works well above the set,at the set itself i like a milder smell.Caven's Treeclimber,Andy's Waterline Call and Krause -40 are excellent fisher,marten lure as well good change up on canine's -40 is an excellent fox coyote lure early EXCELLENT.Good luck this fall,give your set a least two weeks the males around here usually make a 12 to 16 days loop.

Bear baits are a good place to find them also.

Not sure how far you have to travel to your trapping area. If you have the opportunity to pre-bait, that is usually quite helpful. Once fisher find a good feed they will tend to check that spot again and again. Use a lot of good fresh meat at your pre-baits.

Lots of folks recommend a good LDC with skunk for fisher. That is good advice but I would suggest using it close to the set but not in the cubby, hole, etc.
For a lure right at the bait, which should start out being fresh, ought to be something not so harsh. Caster based and fruit based lures are good for the set proper.

What Les said,where the ridge meets the the swamp,cubby with beaver meat and a little gusto, hemlocks trap in the hemlocks.good luck.

I’ve had some luck with beaver eat n castor type lure. I use all ground sets in root holes, guarded by a MB 450, Bridger # 2 lamed, SC # 2 dis. Fisher aren ‘t hard to catch, just hard to find sometimes. Our season follows our deer season, so when they get on a gut pile, the may not move for awhile and then the season is over, it is short and we only get 1 to harvest.

Yep, after bear season is done, those are good spots.

Not the guy you asked but what to heck.
No comparison in the pelt.
If the season were later for all involved, not an issue.
If if opens on blank but you decided to wait to next blank, you might go without.

It kills me when I see "wish the season opened later". DAH, no one says you must start of the first day. I've only been trapping fisher for 8 years & quickly learned that I will get some II's the first week of Nov. All is good after that. EXCEPT, last year I waited until Thanksgiving to start. My seven fisher all graded *1 at NAFA, but no selects. I usually have about 20% selects for my earlier caught fisher, second week of Nov start.

Our season starts too early here,first sat after thanksgiving.Wish it was in Dec,but its not,we only have a 5 day season with a limit of 2.I try to catch marten instead,season used to be 16 days limit of 5,then went to 9 days limit of 5 and for the last 5 or 6 years they have shorten it to 5 days and a limit of 2.Many time's the big males never come back through in that time.We use to be able to pre bait to help on the shorter season,a few years ago the gamewardens said that was preempting,never use to be a problem.So the last few years i've stopped pre baiting to be on safe side of there inturpentation.

Thanks Joe and yes, I have. Fisher fur isn't in bad shape here by the end of October, but It's better later on. That's what I meant when I said I'd like to see the season open later. I've always liked to wait until fur is fully prime, or close to it and with fur prices what they are today it makes even more sense, if your season allows it.

I've filled all my Wisconsin Fisher tags with this trick

It's not "pre-empting" unless you've left something out of your story. Didn't you get busted for something like that a year or two ago ?