The stiffness of the rod relates more the good range of casting weights. We use the 12 ft Ugly Stick surf rods, which work well with 2-4 oz sinkers and a half crab or slice of mullet. A 6 oz sinker or a 4 oz sinker with a whole crab is heavier than ideal for these rods, but not too bad.
Line weight and spool diameter will impact casting distance. We use 40 lb power pro as the sweet spot between strength and casting distance. There are very few obstructions at the beaches we fish (Elmer's, Holly, Rutherford), so we let the fish run with moderate drag. It is a much different approach than fishing the jetties from a boat when we prefer 80 lb line to keep fish out of the rocks. When I eventually respool, I might go with 30 lb to increase casting distance, but I would not go heavier than 40 lb unless we liked locations where we needed to turn fish.
We have found that the 5000 and 6000 series Spheros reels hold plenty of line, and we can tell we get more casting distance from the 5000 reels. Not sure I would want bigger than the 6000 series for bull reds. You might want more for sharks.
When the wind is in my face, I will wade out into knee deep water to cast. My daughter has a more agressive pendulum casting motion and slings it out just as far without getting her feet wet. With a tail wind, I can throw it out plenty far for bull reds at the above beaches without wading at all.
If we ever get serious about sharks, we plan to either launch baits with a pneumatic cannon or (more likely) fly them out with a drone. We really want 80 lb line and 8 ft steel leaders for sharks, and both of those limit casting distances to the closer areas where the bigger sharks rarely swim. Though we did get into them close once where Elmer's Island meets Caminiada pass.
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