For those who fish the Upper Susquehanna and other similar river systems, what lures/techniques have you had the most success in when the snow starts to melt and water temperature starts to warm. I will preface by saying that I am a bank angler, and even though I have five rods, I will realistically only be able to use 2-3

you're in NY where the upper susky is small.  From what I saw of it, a long cast would get across it in a lot of places. Wading from shore isn't so big a hindrance then aside from covering water.  And that time of year you won't need to cover water once you find them.  In winter they will be in the deeper holes and slackwaters conserving energy most of the time.  As the water warms they will start moving around following bait and prepping for the spawn.  Start in the deeper holes and work your way out until you find them.

 

Lure wise- neds, curl tail grubs, inline spinners.  Bounce a curl tail through a pool just off the bottom and as slow as possible so that the tail is moving.  If they are really active then either the curl tail or the spinner.  If they aren't active then dead stick a ned down through.  

Crank bait, jerkbait and ned rig. 

I really like a skirted finesse jig in the springtime.

Wade/bank/kayak. Crankbait, jerkbait, spinnerbait, swim jig, jig/plastic. Basically the same stuff year round. Just different weights/sizes etc. based on conditions.

 

 

 

Black bear hair jig and a 2.5" tube are what work best for me in the winter for river SM.

 

Allen