[Basseducer]

Ghost, welcome to the world of baitcasting. You got what is commonly called a birds nest or professional overrun. This happens when the spool is spinning faster than the line is paying out. Baitcasters are delicate creatures that have to be handled gently.
Try these tips;

1. Fill your spool only to 1/8 inch of the top of the spool and thread your rod.
2. Tie on your desired lure.

• On the opposite side of the crank handle is a spool tension knob, loosen this knob until it turns freely.

4. Holding the rod parallel to the ground depress the thumb bar, the lure should fall.
5. Reel the lure up and tighten the spool tension knob about half a turn.
6. Repeat #4 until the lure no longer falls.
7. Next if your reel has a breaking system, dial it to the max setting.
At this point it should take some effort to cast the selected lure. You will still need to use your thumb to feather the spool. When the lure starts to slow or just before it hits the water you’ll need to apply a bit of pressure to keep the spool from over-revving. Then Practice, Practice, Practice. As you become more comfortable you can start backing off the spool tension knob and decreasing the break to get longer more effortless casts.
I usually adjust the spool tension for different weight lures. Until you get really good DON’T CAST INTO THE WIND, this changes everything. This should give you a starting point so have fun and Practice, Practice, Practice.
Oh, you may want to get a spool of really cheap line to practice with.

Good luck

TJ