As my name suggests I am putting all of my efforts into trapping fisher. For years all that I have set were the running poles, because of the fear of catching a dog. I have seen where there are a certain amount of these animals refused to climb the pole.
Fortunately I live in a state that has reasonable conibear regulations. Can't say the same for our season dates.
I have gone to using a lot of the cages that Bob Noonan has demonstrated. You can use them anywhere without having to hunt for the "perfect" pole or tree. I also use a lot of boxes on the ground with the conibear recessed back inside and a 6" maximum front opening.
With the cages, I have gone to cutting in half out dated political signs and using them as a roof on the cage. Sometimes I will cut a chunk of moss from the ground and use that as a roof. By doing this I have found that my traps remain operable regardless of snow, rain, or ice. Of course the sets on the ground are protected as well.
I have pretty much gone to using cables vs, chain. I will not set a trap unless it has swivels and better yet the cable.I've had big males break chains.
Also, I have made it a policy of mine to pull the trap as soon as I make a catch. Fisher can be easily over trapped..
I much prefer using the conibears over foot gripping traps because I'm dealing with dead animals. I used to use all 220's, but had some females still alive in them. Have gone almost exclusively to 160's. No more live animals. 155's are legal on the ground in New York, but I think they are too small.
In my state suspension of an animal is illegal. I believe that suspension hastens a quicker and more humane dispatch. If any part of the animal is touching the ground, it is legal, Traps must be at least 4' above the ground to avoid dogs, so I calculate the length of my cables so that a catch will be suspended with at least the tail or hind feet touching the ground, to remain legal.
One more note, I open the stomache of every fisher that I catch. It is an education in itself. Once the snow is on the ground they change their eating habits. They will not dig down through the snow for food.
I've been fortunate to observe fisher in the woods both in the Adirondacks and Maine and am very impressed with how fast they can be. Although they readily will climb a tree, I don't think chasing squirrels through the tree tops is a common practice. They are primarily a ground hunting animal. Also, I've seen at times where they have passed a porcupine den without breaking stride. It must be a matter of the degree of hunger. Some of my fisher have quills imbedded in the neck areas, but a lot do not.
For my money, considering their size they are the ultimate predator,speed, teeth, claws, and muscle.

Fresh fisher and bear tracks not a hundred yards from my cabin yesterday morning. I've cut quite a bit of fisher sign the past two days and had a near miss when one danced all over my set but the freezing rain had crusted over and then turned back to snow. The crust supported the animals weight.

I'm not messing with the BGs due to the ridiculous lynx exclusion device the state makes us use. Footholds for me. I'm still chasing deer so I'm only running five sets for the time being. I'll get serious in another week or so.

It is crazy to see how Regs change from state to state for the same animal. We are unable to foot trap but can snare pretty much everything yet PA has strict laws on it but allows foot traps.PA has the enclosed coni box in a water way and Your aloud a pole set.

I'm so glad I didn't sell the pelt on one of the last fisher I trapped in N. Minnesota, gosh it was so neat to see where in the snow he made several high speed bounds straight into that 220! I don't live in fisher territory anymore so means even more now... and those vampire teeth were something I've rarely seen as a trapper and fur buyer...

A 155 is not too small for fisher

I think I found a fisher nest.

I Love Chasin' the Fisher!!!

Good post. I personally like the 5x5 for fisher. Have caught a good many fisher in the 120 body grip. Will admit from time to time a large male may spring the trap but have caught many extremely large males in the 120. When I have had a sprung trap I simply adjusted the triggers back even further, added fresh bait, and covered the entrance to the box with fir boughs. Typically they come back for seconds in a few days.