Stick with it and you'll get the hang of it. Some good tips in here. If you're casting right handed, rotate your wrist so that the right side of the reel faces up on the forward stroke of the cast. Vice versa with a lefty.
Adjust your brake system so that your lure/bait slowly descends to the ground when you push the button, but *stops* as soon as it touches the ground, without an over-run, or without you thumbing the spool. This will eliminate a lot of the backlash problems you'll get.
Make sure you're using a proper line diameter for a given spool size.
The low profile reels are better for casting lighter lures/baits than the round reel frames - making this change was the single most useful thing I did. I used to be a stickler for using the round Ambassadors - that's just what people used forever. Some guys can cast those with no lead, and just a cluster of eggs on a hook. Most can't. I sold my 6501 and replaced it with a Revo SL - HUGE difference that made. (Well, actually I sold the 6501, and replaced it originally with a Diawa Black Max - but that rod & reel got stollen, so I replaced that setup with a similar rod, and the Revo SL). The low pro reels made casting a lot easier. I still use a round reel on my big rod - I use a Shimano Corvalus on my salmon setup. I'm always using so much weight with that one, that casting is never a problem.
For really light stuff - a spinning reel is still superior - but for anything heavier than say, 3/8 oz - a baitcaster will work just fine & dandy, and once you get he hang of it, you can be more accurate with a caster. It's just a matter of practicing till you get the hang of it. A fishing trip is a horrible time to learn how to use any new type of rod & reel - get out and get some 'dry' practice first, before going all live-fire on it
You don't send a soldier into battle with a rifle he's never used before, and expect him to do well with. There's lot of range practice and dry-fire done to get them familiar with the gear, before they go off to war. For fishing gear - lawn casting, or casting ponds are that equivalent. It's much easier to learn the mechanics of using a type of rod/reel without the stress of trying to catch a fish with it.
