Doesn't sound like you're too far off.. I fish with a pretty tight drag and hang on!  The biggest difference in my own experience is changing from a paternoster to running sinker rig.  This and braid meant I was constantly connected and gave the fish little opportunity to brick me.

Using 12-14ft rods with 8000-14000 size spins reels.

 I personally think 10 foot is enough as that what I use up there. We were using 10ft daiwa sensor surf for spinning and 9ft6 daiwa demon blood.

No matter what rig you use you will snag. So what we do up there is rig up a paternoster but attach the sinker to your paternoster rig with a lighter line. For instance my main line is 20-3olb braid. Paternoster rig is 60-80lb mono, then just tie on 20lb mono to mono knot and then sinker. We use free lead which has been salvaged and made into sinkers, or alternatively my uncle collects spak plugs from his mechanic friend and uses them as sinkers. So when you snag your sinker you sacrifice that and get your fish and hooks back. Obviously if your hooks on the paternoster rig snag then its GG. But thats part of fishing Quobba. Be prepared to lose rigs. The fun of fishing up there more than accounts for your lost gear.

I figured with a stiffer rod and by using braid I could at least react to the bite quick and try and minimise being snagged by the fish. I used the paternoster with lighter sinker line last time and it did work some times. I just seem to snag nearly everytime i got a decent bite so I thought it may have been because I wasn't reacting to the bite quick enough, (maybe the stretch of the mono hampered this a little?), or the fact my rod was a little bendy with mono meant my I couldn't put enough hurt on the fish before it ducked back into it's hole. I'm going to add circle hooks this time too (I used beaks last time). I'm am just interested in what rod/reel cobo's people have evolved to, to counteract the snagging issue.

 circle hooks really are a must fishing that sort of ground they snag up less than half the time a normal j hook will i used a pflueger crank at steep point 9 foot 20 - 30 lb only cost $80 had the pulling power to rip a fish straight out of the reef full graphite nice and light couldve been used as a back upfor palagic spinning  if somthing hppened to my demon blood

 I think the others above have mostly covererd it. We went up in november/December and spent virtually no time bottom bouncing as there were macks everywhere. However a recent trip with dirty warmer water had us spinning for countless hours with little to show before turning to bottom bouncing. This is what we tried and what we found worked.

We tried:

1 - Ball sinkers to a swivel then 30-80cm of trace to a hook - this didnt work so well.

2 - Ball sinkers straight on the trace between swivel and down to hook - this worked well but still snagged 

3 - Ball sinker on a paternoster with light line and short free running trace.

Obviously ball sinkers can be swapped for snapper leads if cheaper or anything else in a paternoster configuration.

Number 3 returned least lead but most rigs. number two accounted for most fish and most returned lead but was also used most (hence probably most fish caught).

I would also observe that a stiffer rod and braid does have value in removing gear from snags. My crew fishing softer tipped rods had more difficulty retrieving gear. lead size/weight is also important. 1 oz is enough to get down in most spots, but the lighter the lead the more its going to wash around and the greater likelihood of snagging. 2, 3 or 4 oz lead casts well and holds firm giving you something better for bite detection, but sinks fast and will go deep into cracks.

Do not use star leads, even on beaches (theres always some reef around to catch you out). I used grapnels if the swell was up on the surf beaches and held bottom well and they release well, snagging far less than star leads.

Circle hooks - definitely. Only need one per rig (50% cheaper than running a snell). 

Rods, my usual two mates both fish with the old penn spinfish big surf rods (10 ft and 11ft) and landed some horse fish. i use a Garry Howard Steep Point special (10 foot glass 15-24kg, immensley powerful and now very hard to come by but great because you can dead lift 10kilos!!!) or a big Century surf rod 13'8 - again super strong. There is a Wilson Live Fibre LBG 9' I was looking at the other day, really light and great action. retail was $299 but Mandurah TW had 25% off also or a good second hand sensor surf or similar is ideal 

 Thanks for the responses. I managed to pick up a 7ft graphite 15-24 live fibre cheap from campbells closing sale. They had next to nothing left! I will give that a go, it may be a little short but it's stiff enough. Heading up in July so will let you know how I get on.

7ft will be fine 95% of the time

 As guys above posted  all good info just find what works for you, and just a tip, if you get snagged  and running low on terminal tackle don't try just ripping it out straight away and snapping your rig off.

try

bouncing it out- lift up n down a few times lightly sometimes you can un jam it 

Let line loose and let swell surge suck it out the hole - can also get you more tangled up

leave it for 5 - 10 mins and sometimes a  fish will pick at the bait and free it up for you 

all these methods have worked for me fishing of dhi. 

I fished 9ft to 11 ft  rods with a  corse  style braid which was resistant on sharp rocks .

pen slamers And a no name 30kg drag pressure 7000 size reel

bro used a fin nor leathal which was in its element up there too 

Yeah good advice above with retrieving gear.

I will be heading up in June and hopefully the water is going to be clearer than last time and the pelagics are returning to make things a little more interesting.

 How did you go mate?

get onto the fish?

remember if you are losing a lot of sinkers on the patto rig, switch out the expensive sinkers and go back to the Ol school spark plugs!!! Use as light a line as you can to the sinker and you will land every fish, but need a spark plug for every cast ;-)