[Graeme Stewart]

Well,
Recently purchased a number of reels from fleabay, cheap & cheerful Danica 69's and a couple of Scierra XDA 5/7's.
Some had line or backing attached, but I note that, although they were set up for left hand wind, the line exited the top of the reel, not the bottom as I was taught by an old angler many years ago.
I've always set my reels up with the line exiting the bottom and rising at roughly 45 degrees to the first eye of the rod. 
"Right or wrong"?
While I'm at it, I know the Danica's don't have a drag, but the Scierra's do, I was taught, again many moons ago, to play fish by hand, not off the reel (talking specifically trout here, salmon is a different beast altogether) because the winding action jerks the rod tip and you stand a higher chance of pulling the hook out or breaking the leader due to uneven pressure.
Got to say I've had less than my fair share of breakages and pull outs using this method, even a lucky 11lb 3oz Rainbow played by hand

What are everyone's thoughts/preferences on these points? 

G

[James Laraway]

Line from the bottom of the reel definitely, unless you can take winding backwards 😊so your correct.
I’ve always played fish by hand , but trying to use the reel more. Guess if using hand lining you are at risk of getting loose line tangled in vegetation, then again if you play off the reel and the line gets trapped between coils....
Personally I prefer hand lining

[Dave Robb]

Always try and get the fish onto the reel, nothing worse than line getting tangled at a critical moment.

Plus it’s much easier to do these days with the large arbor reels.

[Bob Mitchell]

Like to get the fish on to the reel as soon as possible unless it is a small one. There have been many times over the years when I have hand lined a fish in thinking it was a small one and finding out otherwise. Been caught in the vegetation to often in the past.
Bob.

[Eddie Sinclair]

I generally play trout by hand almost all of the time unless they  run and pick up the slack and get on to the reel. However I always play salmon off the  reel because they are taking line directly from the reel during the take.

Eddie