I'm so corn-fuzed by all the answers and opinions here, that next time on the water I'm going to try holding the rod in my teeth and winding up line with my left foot!?!

It's been said, here already, "What ever floats your boat, or makes your cannon ball, is what you should do". Couldn''t, agree more with that!

Personally, since I'm "a righty", I hold-right and reel-left. Mainly, because, since my right hand is the dominant force, I want my rod in that hand to feel the action of my nymphs, as they bounce along the stream bottom, or even something as simple as feeling and judging the head shakes of a larger fish when fighting it.
Just, like, "hand-eye coordination", we refined apes have, and can feel, better with our dominant hand, over that of our "off side hand". Try it, if you don't think that's right! When you go to feel something like the fine finish on a piece of wood, or want to feel for nicks and scrapes in a fly line, which hand do you immediately use? So, that being the case, I like others, find it awkward and time wasting to switch hands, just to take up line.

I also like the post made about "why, fly reels were set up originally, with the handles on the left". I'm sure the spinning reel reason is a very valid one, but I was sure Marryat fly reels did it just to drive their customers insane. If you've ever owned an older Marryat and tried to convert it, right to left, you'll know of what I mean?!

Then, of course, there's chaps, like the one in our fly club that any time he wants to pick up line on his fly reel................. he turns the whole- shebang upside down, fly reel on top of the rod, now, and reels the whole thing by cranking backwards? Even, when playing a fish, on the spool, he reels in line this way. "Whatever floats your cannon ball", or, however that goes...................