I think its just a matter of personal choice,what ever you feel most comfortable with.I swapped a couple of years from reel up to reel down and it did add a few yards,but then again I catch just as many fish just lobbing the bait out as I do when I blast the bait as far as possible!
You'll get lads who will say reel down is best but also lads who'll say you cant beat reel up.Its down to the individual at the end of the day.