Brian11719

The ITB is basically a copy of Daiwa's magforce z while the regular paramag is a copy of Daiwa's standard magforce. Both braking systems seem ok but I'm not sure I love the direction they seem to be heading in which is putting magnetic brakes in every reel and their current ACB system is preferable for me with some models like the BB1. I even like their old dual magnetic centrifugal system that they had in the previous gen KVD and custom reels and feel like they could have at least put that in the new Speed Spool for the price increase they put on it.

I'm also a bit weary of new tech right when it comes out as some things like that tend to take a generation or two to get really dialed in. So all that said Lew's is actually one of my favorite reel companies and as an example I have a BB1 on a GLX 844 MBR that's pretty much my favorite combo right now but I'm starting to worry a bit about some of the decisions they seem to be making and the direction they appear to be going in.

Generally speaking I personally like mag brakes for lighter stuff but for heavier stuff I like centrifugal brakes in a lot of cases. On another note that Johnny Morris Carbonlite reel at Bass Pro is very comparable to a speed spool but the brakes in that one are dual brakes and there are times when you can find that one for $100. For some combos that's all I really need but there are others where I might want something a little higher end and the current Tournament Pro, Super Duty LFS and BB1 models have filled that gap nicely. Really hoping they don't come out with new ones and put mag only brakes in them and increase the price.

I also have not seen much of an explanation on the actual difference between these two and see a lot of people just say stuff like 'this has that new Paramag braking system' and it seems like they might not realize there's two versions of it or really understand what they're actually getting.

I do like magforce z style brakes for my Dobyns crankbait rods and have been happy with the Tatula 100 and Tatula 150 for those. Doesn't really make sense to me to pay twice as much for the Lew's counterpart in that ugly yellow color they went with and both Tatulas have the magforce z which is Diawa's version of the Paramag ITB and aside from costing less my guess is it's a bit more refined at this point.

So in summary I would say I'm cautiously optimistic about the new braking system at the moment. And on another note I'm not sure there's a better reel to pair with a GLX 844 MBR than the BB1 they match perfectly and the balance with that setup is amazing. Completely get that some people love $500 casting reels but for me the ones in this range have been the best bang for the buck IMHO and I'm hoping I'm not watching a good thing get ruined which seems to be happening a bit lately.

8.1 gear ratio for the frogs. SV TW for skipping docks...unless you've managed to figure out how to avoid backlashing when you do that. I actually prefer a spinning rod for docks so I don't have to think about it. That leaves the Curado MGL which seems like it would be a fine match for that Kaden anyway.

I'm guessing you mean the older KVD and not the newer one? Asking because they did release a new KVD reel this year but I doubt that's been discounted anywhere yet.
 
Assuming it is the old model 3 differences I can think of off the top of my head:
1. the paint job
2. the handles
3. the available gear ratios
 
Brakes are both the msb which are actually pretty good. Line cap should be about the same. The kvd retailed for a higher price so most people would probably tell you that's the better deal if they are the same price now. I still have one of those and it's ok but if it were me I'd actually probably opt for the tournament mp because they have that in a 6.8:1 which is my favorite gear ratio from Lew's while the kvd is only available in 6.2:1 or 7.5.
 
Both pretty decent reels...but keep in mind the reason they are on sale is they both are several years old at this point at the kvd already has a newer version out with a different breaking system. On a side note a google shopping search shows a site called Tackleshack has the KVD for $104 fyi and seeing a couple of lower prices for the other one as well. 

If it were me I might consider one or more of the following:
7'4 H F for frogs / flipping 6'10 M MF for hard jerkbaits 7-7'2 ML F spinning rod for lighter lures (realize you said you are going to avoid this one for now but can be helpful to have more than 1 spinning rod)

For typical size spinnerbaits I personally like a heavier rod so I'd say the 744C. Bladed jigs are a whole different rod for me but there's plenty of people that throw them on a fast action rod and the 743C would be ok for that IMO if you like a fast action rod for them. The 743C would also be my choice for a texas rig although it is a couple of inches shorter than the one I have for texas rigs overall I'd say that one is a pretty nice rod for texas rigs especially if you aren't going into super deep water or if you happen to be targeting specific structure vs. trying to cast as far as possible.
 
For the second question I'd argue the St Croix Victory line is slightly better for some purposes than the Kaden line...although I really like both lines and companies and they both come with an outstanding warranty program (and I own rods in both lines)...also right now the Victory line is on sale at American Legacy so even though it's normally a bit more right now it turned out to be $114 and $120 for the two that I picked up yesterday. They also have a chart that you might be interested in here:
 
If you don't care so much about a warranty the new Lew's Custom Lite Rods are pretty good. They usually retail for about the same price as the Kaden line and sometimes you can find them on sale for around $120. They also have a newer type of grip (I forget the name off the top of my head) on them that I personally really like. Overall I prefer the Victory and Kaden lines and most of my rods are either St Croix or Dobyns but those Lew's rods are also pretty good. Plenty of rods at a lower price point but I'd argue you usually get what you pay for (unless you are patient and wait for stuff to go on sale which seems to be the trick with buying fishing rods lately).
 
Also to your point on action there was a video Gary made about the Sierra vs Kaden line (probably still easy to find on google) that goes over the difference and TLDR the Kaden series was meant to be a faster action series...St Croix rods in general usually have a bit more of a moderate action while the Lew's ones in that Line that I own feel a bit faster like the Kaden...if you can get to a local tackle shop and hold some of them and check out the action I'd always suggest that but if not might be able to find some review videos on youtube that review some of them and use that to help make your decision. Hope you really like whatever you end up deciding to go with and catch a lot of fish with it...

I mean technically you can use whatever you want but I'd personally suggest a heavy fast casting rod for frogs. I did use spinning gear when I first started throwing frogs and doing that can work...I just used smaller frogs (I still have a Strike King KVD Pipsqueak Popping Perch that I haven't opened yet) and a medium heavy fast spinning rod with 30lb braid. Having said that I eventually saw why people suggest a dedicated frog rod and personally don't feel like you need a super expensive one. In my case I went with a Heavy Fast Lew's TP1X but if I had to do it over again I'd probably go for the Dobyns Fury FR 735C but you could probably go even less expensive and get something like a heavy fast lew's carbon fire and have something that would be pretty good for flipping and punching into heavier stuff as well as throwing frogs. Like others have said medium power seems like it might run into issues either when they pull you down into the grass or when setting the hook I guess it depends on how big the fish are and how much grass is around but I personally feel like you might lose some on a medium rod which would suck because it's already tougher to get a bite on a frog (although it's awesome when you do).

So when it's that cold I'd be throwing an a-rig or a drop shot. Don't let it bug you or take it personally it's harder to catch them when it gets that cold. One thing that's not so great about our era and everything being recorded the way it is is that you don't see the 'bad' on sites like youtube just instant gratification and the appearance of catching multiple fish in seconds...it's (almost) never like that and especially not when the water temp is still that cold...if it were me I'd be sticking to my victory spinning rod with a red bug trick worm on it to be completely honest...realize people try to bag on the drop shot and swear by baitcasters and power fishing but there's a reason why the drop shot wins so much money every year...