[Billfish715]

You can try mixing up some pliabond with some cork shavings as a kind of filler and spreading the mixture over the gap and then sanding the cork when it cures. If plibond doesn't work then try another mixture of a bonding agent for the cork paste. Make sure it is water resistent.

The only other thing to do (which you don't want to do) is to cut the rod. Take off one or two rings and replace them with new rings. Glue the rings together with plibond. You'll have to use a rat tail file to open the holes before you put them on the rod you cut. You will also have to find a short piece of solid fiberglass (preferably) or a hollow glass section of old fiberglass and glue it inside of the rod you cut in half. Leave the other part of the splint sticking out. The "splint" should be about 6-8 inches long and fit snugly inside the cut pieces of your rod. Use epoxy.The glue on the splint will hold the rod together. Put enough glue on the other part of the splint and insert it into the blank and join both pieces of the rod together. Put enough plibond between the corks to hold them together. File the handle until it is smooth and level with the other corks.