What a great informative post fellas. Great info for the new martin trapper. If I were him I would ditch the goose hunt and trap the martin, weather permitting......jk

I would call Keith or Humphry at sterling fur and just order the springs. Sure they have several hundred lying around!

I trapped southeast Alaska for about 35 years and certainly couldn't count how many marten I caught over the years. 100s, anyway. I have taken them with small longsprings, 110s 120s, and even much larger traps set for wolverine and wolves, not to mention the odd few setting off 280s set for otter.
Early on I started trapping them, and mink, with 110s. I found several marten and large male mink still breathing with those traps, including traps using elevated vertical flowerpot sets with the trap secured to a tree or limb. One was even clinging to the tree bark, taking a breath every 10 seconds or so. I was snowshoeing that line and assumed I had just caught that marten and that it would succumb to the trap shortly, so I continued up the line and would retrieve it on the way back.
About 3 hours later, I arrived back at the set only to find the marten still clinging to the tree and still gasping.
That was it. I ordered several dozen Belisle 120s, retired the 110s, and never looked back.
I also evolved my techniques over the years, rarely using flowerpots, and very few vertical sets, mostly relying on leaning and horizontal poles and boxes, ALWAYS in such a way that keeps the dead marten off the ground.
I also went to about 90% wood pedals for both marten and mink, which reduced refusals to nearly none, and almost always either a neck strike or perfect suitcase.

The benefit of 120s and the marten dying instantly or quickly means it has no chance to struggle and wear a blemish in an otherwise perfect skin. You owe it to YOURSELF to get the most money possible for each hide.

Personally I would avoid anything like jam or jelly that could get into the marten's fur. I use strictly feathers for bait but a little bit of sweet lure like mink lure or sable oil works well for me.

I use strictly footholds but I do own a few 110's and 120's. The 110's are NOT something I would use for marten.

I agree with Viking. Make your sets where there is no possibility of marten touching the ground.

As for pre-baiting.........check your regulations to be sure it is legal. It is NOT legal in Alaska and is considered to be "feeding wildlife" .....which is illegal.

As for bait and lure, I, like White17, used feathers, but usually attached to part of a carcass. I would get breasted duck carcasses from waterfowl hunters and would chop them up and put them in the back of the box. Also used a lot of beaver meat. A wing hanging above the set or hanging below a horizontal pole set was a great visual.
Gusto was my go-to lure, and nothing else was even close. When I did my walk-in lines, many times I could see marten tracks in fresh snow that showed them zigging and zagging as they hunted, got down wind of my sets, and B-Lined straight to the box. Just don't get any on you.

Also, when using boxes, switching to wood pedals was a big game changer. Almost no refusals. I made mine out of 3/8" plywood. I drilled holes through the plywood layers, threaded the trigger wires through the holes, then bent the protruding wire ends parallel/90 degrees to the "Pan". Then bent the pan in such a manner that they were at a slight angle, maybe 15-20 degrees to the bottom of the box.
I suggest going to the Wilderness Archives at the bottom of the main Forums page and read the Marten threads. There is a treasure trove of information there that we compiled over the years.

Why boxes facing up? You got me! Maybe easy to throw bait in? I have seen people post pictures on here with marten arse caught and marten just hanging dead half in the box. I can see why they would get arse caught. They step on the trigger. Around here an up facing box would just fill with snow and traps may freeze up during thaws. IMO any time that marten ain't swinging free in the air they are susceptible to critter damage like shrews ( shrews can climb trees) and bird pecking. Hanging high enough most bigger predators won't get them. Hanging low they can still get ate by their brothers.

Will 110's work? Yes. Choose ones with strong springs and have the bend in the corners. In the 1997 NAFA Fur Handling Manual there are 4 pages regarding reducing fur damage caused by conibears. Not just 110's. All traps have advantages and disadvantages. Depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

When I was doing my airplane line in late 1980s I ran pole sets with footholds. Jam ans seal oil on the pole. Caught marten couldn't get the jam or oil on them. Voles loved the jam and it was eaten up each time I checked. I suspect the vole activity and scent helped get the marten up the pole.