Nice pics Bruce! Some beautiful fur!

Guys, for us that don't have/trap fisher...on a longer trap check do fisher have a tendency to go green belly quick?

Cold here with freezing conditions.I don't go over a 3 day check.I will run two to 3 diffrent lines and check a diffrent line of traps each day.

Kind of figured but was wondering if they are like a 'coon. Corn eating 'coon can bloat like a basketball in even cool weather....24 hr check.

I asked some of my Maine buds about their five-day checks and green bellies and they largely said not an issue UNLESS its an uncharacteristically warm couple days in the fall.

MZ

Bruce, which size conibear and make do you prefer for fisher?

If these proposed season dates go through, it will be a game changer here..

Thanks for posting the chart Brandon

I would like the new seasons. I normally start 12/1 and only have 10 days of trapping, this would give me a month.

Here we have a 2 fisher limit. If you are in a good area you don't want to wait more than 24 hrs. Your limit can be achieved over night if your lucky. If I catch I pull the set to decrees the chance of to many caught fisher. Plus might even pull questionable sets. I catch all mine on the ground with boxes or even foothold gaurded small cubbies.

If you can just do a leaning pole opening down. Others have mentioned the issue of snow. If you want McDonald’s but it’s on the opposite side of a divided hwy do you want to make that u turn or just hit Burger King on your right? A hungry fisher will get in there no matter what but why not make it easy? Get those lazy ones. Direct path. Keep it simple. Keep it working as long as possible (snow)

Whst size foothold trap would you use? I had cool springs freezer down last year so this year I'm gonna use long springs. Thinking #11's

"Whst size foothold trap would you use? I had cool springs freezer down last year so this year I'm gonna use long springs. Thinking #11's"

The # 11 is one heck of a trap and will probably hold onto any critter if it gets a decent shot. My opinion it is a bit small for all around fisher trapping. Others may disagree but that is ok.


I have a friend that swears by the Sleepy Creek #2 double Long Spring. They are a good ground set trap in the woods due to the fact they bed well.

Some guys like a 1 1/2 coil. Those will work, but checkout the paw of a big old male fisher.

Back in the day I used a lot of #1.75 coils spring with good success. The MB 550 is a good trap but you. have to tinker it if you want any female fisher to trip it.
I like the #2 Bridger or Northwoods as a good all around woods trap. Back when fur was actually worth something and we had a 24 hour check on all traps in organized territory, I set mostly foot holds. I never really went to body grips until we got a 3 day check on body grips.

Why foot holds? I am pretty old school. I wanted what ever came down the trail. I used to catch coyotes and red fox in ground sets every year. The fur prices were different then and I was even poorer than I am now.

As eluded to above, you take a look at the paws of a few old male fisher when you get a few. They have a pretty good size foot. Female fisher have pretty small feet in comparison.
Most of my foot hold fisher work was back when it was not uncommon to get $150.00 or more for a good prime female fisher. I took the game pretty seriously.
Hope this helps.

Mac

With marten also in the area 120’s.Just fisher 160’s