my great grandfathers bamboo fishing pole

Question
QUESTION: hello. i have received my great grandfathers fishing pole for my 18th birth day. he went down on the York Town when he was in the navy and this is the only thing i have that was his. i never knew him, obviously, and if i can fix this pole i would be the 4th generation to fish with this pole.
well this is where you come in. the pole is a 5 piece fly rod set that is doubled as a shorter spinning rod. there is a brake in the pole about 1/4 inch below the metal piece that connects the first piece to the second.
my question in if it is possibe to fix this.
and if i can fix it.(i have no experience) if yes how would i go about doing this.
if not where could i send it to get it fixed.

i thank you for your time and your answers.

Tyler

ANSWER: I have good news and bad news. I like to give bad news first so the good news will kinda cheer you up.  The bad news is you can't fix it. The good news is that it is fixable! It has to be done with special waxes and sealants, so you will have to send it in.  There are many bamboo fly rod crafters, in California, Colorado, and New Mexico, that specialize in those sorts of things.  I would search the Internet for a specialty bamboo fly rod maker and gather the personal information off of the site.  I would not get just one builder's number or email address but several.  I would call them all and have a chat about the history of the rod and how much it means to you and how much you would like it fixed.  Then ask for a quote on the price of the repair. Then tell him you are not ready to send the rod off, pay, or able to get it fixed at that moment.  Write down all the quotes and then compare.  If you can find a builder who specializes in the kind of bamboo that your rod is made out of, go with him regardless of the price.  Hope this helps.  Make sure to post a follow up question to let me know how it goes.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: well thank you for your in site on my predicament. and if you are looking for some fish pictures i am the guy to supply you with washington salmon.

Now on to my question. I would like to one day fish with this fishing pole. do you think that it would be at all possible to be able to do so when it is fixed? and do you think that it would need to be refinished before i go after them?  

thanks again.
Tyler

Answer
I believe it is entirely possible to fish with it, but I wouldn't go after any salmon. Maybe some trout, not too many giant browns, but then again I have no idea about the rigidity or brittleness of the rod.  This is a question best left to the person who is fixing your rod.  You may also want to let him know that you want to fish with the rod when asking about repairs.  And those salmon pics would be great, anything helps!