Hello all, I?m new to this community and to fly fishing. I have been reading like mad however I have one question that may well have been answered in another place, I used the search and was unable to find an answer so ill post the question here.

I was given a new fly rod for my 21st birthday (along with my granddads old fly reel and his old fly?s). Now I know I can put candle wax on the joins in order to stop them sticking but I was wondering what else can I do before taking the rod on the water to help preserve it. Can you put anything onto the cork to help with cleaning in future that won?t effect the grip? Is there anything I can spray on the guides to give them an extra layer of protection to make cleaning easier in the future?

The crux of the post is ?I have a new fly rod, what can I do to keep it in good condition before taking it out on the water??

Any help would be much appreciated.

Mu.