Howdy new to group, absolutely love fishing

Pizza1 the brake is the five Spoke looking thing on the crank of the reel and the spool drag is the little knob next to that should be able to loosen them both to be able to cast around 1/8 to 1/4 ounce anything smaller than that good luck maybe try spinning reel

[quote=McGee] Howdy, as using a bait caster can prove to be a pain sometimes even for the best of us, learning to use one can be even harder if u let it. Like others have said balance between rod stiffness, the line you use as well as the lure/bait you will be using is key. So there are two drags on a bait caster one is for fight drag like normal, the other is for spool tension it is key to have the spool drag set to the correct tension for the lure/bait being used,(“WHICH WILL CHANGE WITH EVERY BAIT/LURE YOU PUT ON”). Best thing is go somewhere in the open and just start casting until you figure out what works for your set up. Normal rule of thumb for spool drag it it should be just loose enough for your bait/lure to slowly drop to the ground when u hit the release without any help but just enough to make contact and stop, to tight and it won’t cast that far, but no bird nest to loose and it will bird nest every time. If u don’t want to fuss with drag issues u can always leave your thumb on the spool when casting and be the drag yourself, real fishermen will learn the proper way. Hope this helps