I've had a love/hate relationship with my 12" Lodge since I first bought it, about 3 or 4 years ago now.
Finally, after at least a dozen or two cycles of seasoning/scrubbing bare, I am convinced that I've got the cleanup down pat.
Here's what I do, from the start:
1.) Scrub the hell out of your skillet with steel wool. Strip any existing rust or gunk from all surfaces, including the handle and bottom of the pan.
2.) Give it a good, all-over rubdown using oil and a paper towel. (I use canola oil; other oils may also work, but I've never tried them so I can't comment on them.) You don't want to leave puddles of oil, but don't be cheap, either.
3.) Heat it upside down in the oven at 350 degrees for a good 30-45 minutes.
4.) Repeat steps 2 & 3 three more times, using less and less oil each time. This does not all need to be done at once; you can wait a day (or even a few days) between each cycle if you don't have time to kill.
5.) Cook with fatty, greasy foods - and nothing else - for at least the first half-dozen or so times you use the skillet. Bacon or sausage would be ideal.
6.) Dump out whatever leftover food scraps remain in the skillet when you're done. If you can't just slide it off with a plastic spatula (don't ever use a metal spatula), leave it. Note that you have not turned the burner off yet.
7.) Run your faucet hot. When the water is about as hot as it gets, dump some of the water into the skillet (just enough to cover the surface a couple of inches). Eat your food and let the water boil (or come close to boiling).
8.) Using your plastic spatula, gently scrape the surface of the skillet while the water is still boiling. This should loosen up anything that had been left behind. Dump the water out.
9.) Turn the burner off and set your skillet back down. Give it a quick (very quick - the surface is still hot!) once-over with a paper towel to make sure there are no crumbs left.
10.) Once the skillet is cool enough to touch, wipe it dry (but don't scrub!) with a paper towel.
11.) Give it a very light coat of oil, making sure to hit all surfaces.
12.) Store it upside down in your oven to prevent dust from building up.
This approach has been working exceptionally well for me. It is now the smoothest, easiest-to-use pan in the house. Love it!
Good luck to everyone else, and don't give up!