Similar to my other topic on this board, I bought a bunch Strike King King Shad swimbaits after seeing a KVD clip of him catching a bunch of lmb and smb on one. I tried my All Star Team All Star Inshore rod (7'6" MMF; made in Houston models) poppin' rod. I use this rod a lot for larger topwaters. Works well enough, but it feels a bit weird. Tried my St Croix Premier MF, but felt like it really overpowered the rod. I tend to go with a bit softer rod for lures with trebles, but maybe that's not right for this technique? What rod would you suggest? Not really interested in throwing larger swimbaits but will probably pick up some the same size and smaller. Thanks yall.

The King Shad fishes fine on a 7' MH rod or a larger cranking rod. You won't really need a specific swimbait rod until you get into the 1.5-2 ounce range.