A bait caster is my preferred reel even for ultra-light casting. I will give the quick and easy instruction for using one. First as already mentioned tighten your brake down. Following these steps should be helpful.

1. Put reel on rod and attach a 1/2 oz weight to the line.
2. Adjust the manual brake adjusting knob (not the star drag) so that the line will not release at all when you depress the release button.
3. If you have a magnetic anti-backlash on the reel start with it set all the way to minimum tension.
4. Try to cast. The line should only pay out about 5 feet.
5. Began loosening the manual brake adjusting knob slightly and try casting again.
6. Continue this process a few times and get the feel of casting.
7. Each time you loosen the manual adjusting knob start getting used to feeling the spool spin under your thumb.
8. As you become more accustomed to the feel of the spool spinning under your thumb you can loosen the brake more and more.
9. When you get to be able to throw it a little farther each time and notice the line getting loose on the spool under your thumb you can then start tightening the magnetic anti-backlash on your reel while slightly loosening the brake adjusting knob.

(note) When casting a bait casting reel your thumb never fully leaves the spool but rather the spool is controlled by the amount of pressure on your thumb against it.

10. Proper adjustment of manual casting brake is achieved when you can depress the line release button and the lure will drop slowly without moving the rod. This adjustment works for any weight lure so if you change lures you should readjust the manual casting brake to compensate for the weight difference. The magnetic anti-backlash adjustment is for fine tuning the reel for maximum casting distance.

Following this process should help in your bait casting experience. When I teach someone how to use a bait caster I start with an old Ambassadeur 5000. It is the easiest one to learn on.

The real reason for learning to use a bait casting reel is that the drag system is the most efficient one out there and you will lose less fish over a sticky drag. The line rolls straight on and off the reel. All others the line turns 90 degrees to go on and off the reel. If you consider it a fly reel is basically a bait casting reel that hangs under the rod instead of sitting on top of it.

I use bait casting reels so much that by now I can cast a 1/16 oz jig with one as far or farther than one could be cast with a spinning reel.