Try this, my friend. Tie your lure onto your leader, or line. Depress the line out button, your lure should drop freely, and when it hits the floor, your spool should not run on. I adjust to different weights, to allow the spool to spin freely, but not too fast.
What I do with my Abu's, is to make sure the spool is centered, usually the right knob(knob on the handle side) will be turned in, all the way, and I adjust the spool tension with the left knob.
I use mainly a 10' casting rod with my Abu 6500's, but if you feel more comfortable with a shorter rod, than go for it.
Take short casts at first, get a feel for what you are doing. And always feather the spool with your thumb. And when your plug or lure hits the water, stop the spool with your thumb, turn the handle and release the line out button. As with anything new, just practice.
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