Yesterday I went fishing and as I removed the rod I had chosen to use from the tube, I noticed that there was a lot of speckling (for lack of a better word) on it. The marks looked like 000s of little air pockets that I'm guessing were formed by moisture and my stupidity of not wiping it down after use and before putting it away.

So my questions are:

1) If I want to remove these marks do I have to sand the finish down with very fine sandpaper or steel wool?
2) How can I accomplish that without removing the guides?
3) If what appears is purely cosmetic, should I just leave it alone?

Thanks.

Allan