Real World Tests: I fished the Valdivia with a couple of different reels including Abu Garcia's Revo4 STX (spooled with 10lbĀ Sunline Shooter Fluorocarbon) and Shimano's Casitas MGL (JDM model spooled with 50lb Sunline FX2 Braid).

The Ito Headlock system is simply a decorative locking mechanism as opposed to the standard plastic ring that comes from the component manufacturers

Casting: The primary reason I sought out this stick was the casting impression it left with me during that first on the water look at the entire series with Megabass of America. The Valdivia's extra-fast taper was engineered not with flipping in mind, but frogging. With that application as its primary purpose, that tip needs to have the ability to precisely place those addictive, hollow bodied baits in some very tight locations.

Not just a gap between the grips but an opportunity for detailing on each end and of course, logo placement

My patience paid off because that's exactly what the Valdivia can do, but I find it too long for a frogging stick. I go a little against the grain when looking for a frogging stick to place baits in tight spaces and prefer something in the 6'-9" - 7'-0" range.

With its length, the Valdivia is more of an open water frogging stick for me. However, the type of baits I do like to throw on a stick like this are buzzbaits and soft plastic toads.

Quality of the cork is good

The Valdivia's relatively short rear handle is long enough for two handed casts and it absolutely excels at launching baits both with distance and accuracy. Once your cast is made, the handle doesn't get in your way while walking or popping baits either, so there's minimal instance of jabbing yourself in the side. Lastly, with that soft tip, the Valdivia makes for a nice pitching stick and really is a nice option for traditional flipping and pitching of Texas rigged soft plastics in and around reeds, brush, and grass.

You can get a sense of the Valdivia's soft, castable tip in this shot

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