DIXON – A year ago, Andy Van Oosten and Nate McClain were just a couple of guys who liked to bait a hook every once in a while.

This year, the Dixon duo are marked men heading into the second Cabela's King Kat catfish tournament Saturday on the Rock River and headquartered in Dixon. The duo won last year's inaugural event.

"It would be nice to at least place," said Van Oosten, a tool designer at Borg Warner in Dixon. "I hope somebody from the area wins it."

Van Oosten said he and McClain, a Dixon veterinarian, go fishing about once every two weeks. In the 2009 tournament, they caught about 12 catfish, with their five biggest totaling 41.45 pounds.

"We were pretty lucky," said Van Oosten, who split the $3,000 first prize with McClain for their $200 entry fee. "There were some teams that didn't catch many fish, but we had some pretty good luck. We'll just go out and do what we did last year."

The first official order of business for this year's tourney will be a registration meeting 4 p.m. Friday at Kodiak Outdoor Sports in Dixon, one of two main tournament sponsors. Out-of-state competitors can purchase fishing licenses, and representatives from the Department of Natural Resources will be on hand to educate anglers on Illinois fishing regulations.

"Once you start going to these tournaments, you start seeing the same people over and over," said Dave Rodebaugh, Kodiak Outdoor Sports owner. "It becomes a real friendly competition. Even guys that didn't do real well last year, checking in two fish, just had a ball doing it. I'm looking forward to it."

As of Monday afternoon, about 60 two- or- three-person teams had registered, with organizers hoping to have more than 100 boats in the water Saturday. A year ago, only 42 teams had signed up by the day before the event. A late surge pushed the total to 87.

Fishing will take place from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Rock River. Legal water is from the Airport Dam in Rockford to the Steel Dam in Milan.

Fishermen must be back at Page Park in Dixno by 4 p.m. for the weigh-in. The five biggest live catfish (channel or flathead) will count toward the final total.

A year ago, weigh-in was at Kodiak Outdoor Sports. It was moved to Page Park to alleviate traffic congestion on Galena Avenue and accommodate an anticipated large crowd of spectators.

"It worked out good last year," Rodebaugh said, "but I think it'll be better having it by the river. The other factor is we will be right there so we can release the fish immediately. We want to preserve the fish."

Shortly after the 2009 event, thousands of fish died in the Rock River due to still-undetermined reasons. Rodebaugh isn't anticipating that situation being much of a problem, if any.

"It is a factor on one hand, but guys are still fishing the same river," Rodebaugh said. "They're catching the same fish. They just may have to work a little harder to catch fish. It may be a lower-weight tournament this year, but there's still plenty of fish out there."

There's plenty of incentive to catch those fish. Dixon is the sixth of 12 stops on the Cabela's King Kat Tournament Trail. Eleven of those events have minimum purses of $5,000, while Dixon's is $10,000 – and it could be higher, based on the number of boats entered at $200 per team.

A year ago, $14,100 in prize money and $8,000 in other prizes were awarded.

With so much at stake, some fishermen may be tempted gain an unfair advantage, perhaps by pre-catching big fish and hiding them, or stuffing weights into their stomach to add precious ounces. Rodebaugh is confident everything will be on the up-and-up, and noted random lie-detector tests will be administered to competitors.

"There's a lot of people out there watching," Rodebaugh said. "If somebody sees something, they're going to spill the beans."

The fishing tournament should also be a boon to the local economy, as fishermen and their families from across the country will patronize hotels, restaurants and other businesses, during their stay. Dixon Tourism Board president Colleen Brechon was an eager sponsor, and like Rodebaugh, kicks in $4,000 in prize money.

"It's something I've been hoping would happen for a long time because the river was so under-utilized," Brechon said. "Then all of a sudden things started happening – the fishing tournament, the riverfront – it's a really good thing for Dixon."

There will also be a host of peripheral activities. Cabela's will host a kid's fishing derby from 9 to 11 a.m., and there will also be a casting contest, hula hoop contest and rock painting.

In the evening, entertainment, food and refreshments will be available in the Bean Blossom Parking Lot in downtown Dixon.

Cabela's King Kat catfish tournament

When: Begins 6:30 a.m. Saturday

Where: Rock River from Rockford to Milan

Weigh in: 4 p.m., Page Park, Dixon

Defending champions: Andy Van Oosten, Nate McClain, Dixon