Took my new Shimano Curado out for the first time to practice at a small lake in Eldorado Park in Long Beach and it was a humbling experience... I need a lot of practice with this new reel, having used a spinner my whole life. First cast - backlash... followed by several more....

I started to get the hang of it after a while... keeping my thumb on the spool, etc., but man - is it really this hard to learn? Please tell me that some of you had similar experiences with your first bait caster!!

Anyone have any tips for a newbie with a baitcaster? Needless to say, I didn't catch any fish and spent most of my time dealing with these backlashes!