I just left a clients house with an old 9'cane rod. Where do I start? I'm sure this is not an expensive rod due to the Aluminum reel seat. It currently has 5 guides. Do I reconfigure with the standard 9 for a 9' rod. My big fear is upon removing the current wrap there will be extreme discoloration under them. One tip has a curve and has a split in the first 4". Can I cut and shorten to an 8'6". Try straightening it? Or just be happy with the one tip. One interesting thing is the tip tops seem to be copper. I don't think it is a collectable so I would like to be able to fish with it. Seems to be a 5 or 6 wt. How is this determined? Thank you for any input. Still praying for Spring in Wisconsin.