Fan picks for the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented DICK'S Sporting Goods

We asked our fans who they hope to see win the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented DICK'S Sporting Goods. Even some Elites popped up in the comments to cheer for their Lake Hartwell hopefuls.
Check out the full thread on our Facebook page, and if you are attending this year's Classic let us know.
Another Classic victory of KVD? 
The majority of fans will be cheering for Kevin VanDam on Lake Hartwell. He had 22 mentions in our thread, and John Wojtys wrote, "There can be only one... KVD!"
Hometown two-fer?
Casey Ashley received the second-most votes of confidence with 16 mentions. The winner of the coldest Classic in Bassmaster history will have many hometown fans for sure. David Xiong wrote, "Casey Ashley, the only 2-time winner to win both at a home lake!", and David Maley commented, "Living on Lake Hartwell, I have to pick 2015 champ Casey Ashley for his second Classic win."
Angler of the Year and Classic Champ? 
2017 Toyota Bassmaster  Angler of the Year Brandon Palaniuk is also a fan favorite. The B.A.S.S. Nation alum had 14 mentions, with many fans hoping to see him keep the winning streak alive. 
2016 Angler of the Year Gerald Swindle had 12  cheering fans, and 2014 Angler of the Year Greg Hackney had 11 votes of confidence. 
New blood with large cheering sections
Jacob Wheeler joined the Elite Series in 2017, and 10 fans from our thread think he can defeat Bassmaster veterans. A good example is this comment from Jesse Seals, "Wheeler is coming for it. I would of course like to see Kevin win one more also, but all my chips going on Wheeler."
2017 Rookies Dustin Connell and Jamie Hartman also received a lot of love from the fans, and Jesse Wiggins was spotted in the comments cheering for Matt Lee. 
2018 Rookie and B.A.S.S. Nation Champion Caleb Sumrall had a smaller cheering section, but those close to him are excited to see him on the Classic stage. 
Overdue anglers
Aaron Martens,Brent Ehrler and Todd Faircloth are all due for a win according to fans. 
Brandon Baker wrote, "Rooting for Aaron Martens this year. He’s long over due for Bassmaster classic win!", and Matt Bradley wrote, "I feel like it's time for Brent Ehrler to claim his classic trophy." Edward Bailey commented, "Todd Faircloth is due." 
Who will you be cheering for March 16th? 

Classic boat order revealed

One of the first things for B.A.S.S. staff to do to prepare for the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK'S Sporting Goods is the randomly select the boat order for the Classic. The first two spots were not random- they go to the reigning Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year and last  year's Classic champion. The rest were selected in a random drawing at B.A.S.S. headquarters. 

After Day 1, the boats will leave the dock in reverse order listed here. 

Flight 1 
1Brandon Palaniuk
2JordanLee
3JasonWilliamson
4Kevin VanDam
5LukeGritter
6MarkDavis
7BrentEhrler
8CliffPace
9BradleyRoy
10JoshBertrand
11JacobWheeler
12MattLee
13CalebSumrall
14BobbyLane
15KeithCombs
16SkeetReese
17OttDeFoe
18DavidWalker
19Brandon Lester
20MarkDaniels
21StanleySypeck
22JacobFoutz
23MikeIaconelli
24EdwinEvers
25RickMorris
26RussLane

Flight 2
27MartyGiddens
28JamesElam
29SteveKennedy
30MikeMcClelland
31HankCherry
32BrandonCoulter
33JesseWiggins
34SethFeider
35JohnCox
36CliffordPirch
37CarlSvebek
38ToddFaircloth
39RandyHowell
40JasonChristie
41MicahFrazier
42JacobPowroznik
43JohnCrews
44RyanButler
45DustinConnell
46GeraldSwindle
47JamieHartman
48AltonJones
49CaseyAshley
50AaronMartens
51GregHackney
52LukeClausen

100 days until the Classic

100 days until the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK'S Sporting Goods begins!

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