I think I finally stopped being a moron with my baitcaster.

I was about two days away from selling my gear and going back to spinning reels. For three months, I was bird-nesting on every single cast. I thought my reel was a dud, but it turns out I was just overfilling the spool and had no idea how magnetic brakes actually worked.
I’ve been practicing with this orange Lethal Blaze combo I picked up recently. Once I stopped filling the spool to the brim and actually messed with the brakes, it finally clicked. It’s definitely a budget setup, but honestly, it’s light enough and I can actually tell when I’m bumping a rock versus a bite, which I didn't expect for the price.
The extra tip it came with is a nice backup too, mostly because I’m still clumsy and half-expected to snap one. My distance still isn’t great, but at least I’m actually fishing now instead of picking out tangles for 20 minutes.
Quick question though, for a beginner setup like this, should I stick with the cheap mono or is it worth swapping to braid to help with the backlashes?