Rod choice, line choice, tippets, leaders, 7wt line on a 6wt rod, or vise versa, why not the weight of the line that matches the weight of the rod? These are just a few things I really don't understand. .....I know there's probably not a good once size fits all answer to picking a good setup but a few suggestions from those of you in the know would really help.
Our rivers are on the small side, not over 6-8ft of places, a lot of shallow riffles leading up to pools that are usually on the 3-4ft range. Rock bottom etc You get the picture
The weight of the line and the rod are designed to be matched to work most effectively together but going up, or down, one size is often done especially when you start dealing with abrupt weight forward lines that load the rod differently when you're casting.
The actual one you want will be driven by the size of the flies you're going to cast since the line has to carry that weight and "turn over" the leader to present the fly forward of the line. The wind can also affect that but fishing the small shielded streams you are in KY no big deal.
I would look for a 8 or 8 1/2' foot 6 weight rod and 6 weight Wulff taper floating line . It will give you good ability to cast without extensive false casting to get line out and good punch for short casts. Most of your fish are going to be within 20'.
Buy some 4X 7 foot leaders and some 3X and 4X tippet material. Fly-wise some black and/or brown Wooly Buggers, mostly weighted, as well as some big deer hair flies will set you up just fine. At least up here in the Mid-Atlantic it's a cicada year so the fish will figure out soon that the big splash over them is a big blob of protein. Going to be a fun year for the smallmouth!
