Did I read that right, you got a bird's nest before you even cast? How did you spool the reel? Did one of your cats try to play with the line as you were putting it on? On another note you only paid $50 at Wally World for the Pinnacle? Let me know how that works out! I want to set up a rod for crankbaits and have been looking for a reel with 6.0-6.3:1 gear ratio at a decent price. I was looking at a Lew's from Cabela's but am having second thoughts(I hate buying something I haven't held in my hands). I want to put the reel on a 7' M-power E-glass rod from Cabela's using 10 lb mono. I love cranking for smalliesand I think that would be a near perfect set-up at a reasonable price.