Christi -
I have to agree with the others about their rod recommendation. You will not be disappointed.
To Kistler1 - a dogfish is a junk fish that is similar to a carp, but even uglier if you can believe it. It is prominant in the Mississippi River and like basscop said, which I can confirm as we have fished together a number of times

, these nasty things can be caught in the pads or on rocks at the river dams. I have caught these 5 to 20+ lb fish using heavier strength Kistler rods with jigs and worms and have also caught them using shaky head worms on a Graphite Plus spinning rod. This is a true testimate to Kistler as I have never had one problem with my rods fighting these monsters or bass!!
Have a good one!