Per Brandin on rod care
At the end of a day's fishing, be it on a steelhead river or trout stream, I sight down the rod to see if it has a sweep or bend in any direction. Sometimes it will, either from not taking enough care in turning the rod while playing good fish, or maybe the idiosyncracy of an asymmetrical casting stroke. If it has such a sweep, I simply bend the rod gently in the opposite direction until it is straight. If the rod is put away straight it will tend to stay straight. I pull the rod apart, being sure to pull in a straight line and wipe the rod with a paper towel or soft cloth to clean it and remove any moisture. Then it goes back into its sack and tube, ready for the next use.
There are two main things to pay attention to in playing fish on a bamboo rod which are less of a concern when fishing synthetic material rods. The first is the one I mention above; turn your rod around while playing a good fish, so the strain is not always in one direction. The second is to try and keep no more than a 90 degree angle between the butt of the rod and the fish. This will often require pulling the leader well into the guides when landing a fish to avoid pulling the tip into a tight 'J' or even the whole rod into a deep 'U' which over stresses it. Remember the old adage 'A bow full bent is a bow half broke'. I see many rods from many makers which have fish fighting sets in them or even broken tips which could have been prevented with a little care.
Ferrules should be kept clean, inside (female) and out (male). If a ferrule feels too tight, chances are that it is a little dirty. Take a piece of paper towel and push it into the female, turning it to form a 'tool' to clean out the inside wall of the ferrule. Always wipe off the male slide (I use my cotton shirt) before inserting it into the female. It is permissible to use a little paraffin or soap as lubricant if you like and this will also make the rod easier to take apart at the end of the day. Do not, however, use grease from your nose as I have sometimes seen recommended; the salt will cause corrosion and the ferrule to bind. It is also ok to use the finest steel wool once in a while to keep the ferrules clean, but not sandpaper, even of the finest grade.
Keep hands close together when putting your rod together and never twist the bamboo while pushing or pulling ferrules. To get a better grip on the rod it is sometimes advisable to use grip pads of the type used to open jars.
I differentiate the tips on my rods with a single tipping wrap on one tip, while the other has double tipping. Some people always put the tip just used into the inside sleave of the rod sack, moving the 'fresh' tip to the outside compartment, then always pull the tip to be fished from the outside compartment. Like stores rotating stock!
Rods should be stored in a cool, dry place. Especially avoid leaving them in a hot trunk or in a car where the sun beats down on the tube.