GEICO bass angler Teddy Carr has been in tournaments like this weekend's Bassmaster Weekend Series stop on the Potomac River before, so he knows the difference between success and failure might come down to an ounce or two.
"You're trying to find a diamond in the rough," Carr said, "while hoping you don't end up with a chunk of coal. We're in a time of year that if the fish are in a particular location, they are going to bite.
"I won a tournament on this river a couple of years ago by just two ounces. Every ounce counts on this river. Ounces will separate who wins and if you cash a check or not."
A local fishing guide, Carr knows most parts of the river have been well fished, so he plans to go down the path less traveled.
"I'm going to be on the lookout for areas where people have routinely fished over the year, but might be ignoring now," Carr said. "I've been out there frequently and have taken stock of some areas that people are overlooking."
Bass in the Potomac River are at the height of their spawning season. Carr said one of the choices he is going to have to make is which stage of spawning fish he is going to focus on catching.
"There are very few pre-spawn fish left," Carr said. "I'm going to have to decide to go target the fish that are currently spawning or post-spawn fish. Ideally, I'd like to target fish that are spawning that I can see, but that is not a guarantee on a tidal river.
"The river has been real muddy this spring, so I'm going to be looking for some overlooked spots that are just now starting to clear up and haven't had a lot of fishing pressure on them."
The tournament launches from Smallwood State Park outside Marbury, Md