Practice, practice, practice. It took me almost 6 months to get a baitcaster to work the way I wanted it to. I am STILL learning how to set them up for pitching jigs and texas rigged baits. Most versatile reel without a doubt. Also helps to have a high quality reel to start out with. Kinda sounds like you all may be trying to cast with too light a bait also. I find if I try to throw a shad rap on a baitcaster I cast it short too often. I find myself having to release the spool sooner to get a good arc on it. Also check your spool tension to make sure it is not too tight.