You can still buy medalist's. The Feathered hook in Coburn sells them, and they've been converted. Basically they take out the old cheapo plastic and cast metal working parts and replace them with quality forged and machined parts. Results in much higher quality and functionality while maintaining the classic looks. Think the company that does it is called One Pfoot, or something similar. You can probably do the same thing yourself with ordered parts, or find other shops that carry them, but I know the feathered hook carries them in stock.
Reels for a bamboo are a much bigger deal than graphite. The main reason is weight. So many modern reels are made light for graphite rods, and just don't balance a boo. If its too tip heavy, your arm will feel the pain. Whatever you pick, make sure the fulcrum is down on or very near to the grip.
One way to do it is just use too big of a reel. Using a reel made for 6-7 wts on a 4 or 5 wt should work in theory. Or go with the old heavier reels that were made for bamboo, like the medalist, and it adds the tradition aspect too. Whatever you go with, make sure to take your rod with you on your shopping trips and demand that you be able to afix it to the rod and check the balance point. Keep in mind the weight of the backing and fly line too, it can be considerable, and will bring the fulcrum towards the reel.
