A badge of honor.
We hear that a lot, but for Maddox Blansett, it’s more than a catchy phrase. It’s the meaning behind his mission.
Fall 2024 saw the 13-year-old from South Pittsburg, Tenn., launch D4 Bait Co. Running the fledgling operation out of his garage, Blansett balances injection molding with middle school studies and as much hunting and fishing as he can manage.
Now, young entrepreneurship certainly merits respect, and Blansett’s showing all the signs of engineering a train bound for success.
But the story behind Blansett’s story is why we’re here.
D-4 was his father’s badge number.
Key word: “was.”
Good time to buckle up. This is going to be a tough one. But as we’ll see, hope springs from hardship when the heart is strong.
The darkest day
On the afternoon of Aug. 23, 2022, Marion County Detective Matt Blansett and Sergeant Lee Russell of the Tennessee Highway Patrol Aviation Division boarded a helicopter for an aerial surveillance mission. Around 4 p.m., the helicopter struck high-tension power lines and crashed into Aetna Mountain.
No survivors.
“It really was just a blur for the first week,” Maddox Blansett said. “You don’t realize they’re gone; it just feels like maybe they’re on vacation. Then a few weeks go by and you start to realize and you really start to miss them.
“Everybody grieves differently,” Blansett continued. “It’s been over two years ago, but still it just hits you sometimes.”
After 20 years with the Marion County Sheriff’s Department, his role as county commissioner and his reputation for volunteer service and youth sports coaching, Matt Blansett’s passing rocked his community. Drives across the section of Highway 156, dedicated as Det. Matthew W. Blansett Memorial Highway, bear constant reminder.
Family friend and Maddox Blansett’s business mentor Kari Rosado said: “Everybody knew Matt Blansett, which is probably why they had to rent a school stadium for his funeral. He was so loved by so many people; it hit everybody so hard.”
Blansett, his mom, Codie, and his younger brother, Banks, have not lacked for support and kindness. But as much as that helps, sometimes you just can’t hug away the hurt.
When the light fades
Making memories is easy. Relying solely on those indelible thoughts unsteadies the path forward.
It’s not just the person; it’s that mental vault full of images. It’s that desperate effort to recall the laughter, the casual banter, the deep moments when no one talks — you just smile.
You think that stuff will last forever, and then one day you get the call.
And you wish you had more time.
You wish you’d made more time.
“I’m still sad that I got into fishing after he passed away because he would always want me to go out on the boat with him and I was too young then,” Blansett said. “I really didn’t understand fishing; I really didn’t want to at the moment.
“After he passed away, that’s when I realized how much I love fishing.”
Perspective and purpose
A Marine Corps veteran with a psychology degree and entrepreneurial know-how, Rosado guides Blansett through various aspects of business organization and promotion. Most importantly, she brings a compassion born of personal experience.
“My dad died when I was 16, so I know what life is like without your dad, but I didn’t know from a boy’s perspective, when you had someone who always took you hunting and fishing,” Rosado said. “I could tell that [Maddox] couldn’t find who he was and he was really lost.
“He was always Matt’s son; he was never Maddox Blansett. I told him, ‘You’re going to find who you are without being Matt’s son. You’re going to be Maddox Blansett and you’re going to be somebody amazing. You just have to figure out who you are.’”
That’s why D4 Bait Co. is much more than a business venture or a creative outlet. It’s the paternal link Blansett grips with all his might.
“I wanted to [choose] a name that would stick with me and keep him in my memory,” Blansett said.
Staying connected to the activity that once connected father and son also helps.
From his dad’s favorite Abu Garcia baitcaster to the catfish gear that produced a 30-pounder the day Blansett’s grandfather Donald Blansett joined them, holding this inherited tackle feels like holding the hand that once guided him.
“My father left me a lot of equipment, and sometimes I go out to ponds near my house and it feels like I’m with him,” Blansett said.
Processing the pain
External support plays a huge role, especially for minors, but at some point, every grieving person has to look himself in the mirror and ask, “Will I let grief imprison me or empower me?”
Maddox Blansett chose the latter.
Secluded in his garage, listening to his dad’s favorite country tunes, he finds the peace that fosters healing.
“He likes to make his baits by himself,” Rosado said. “He doesn’t like a lot of people in there watching him do it, because it’s his time with his dad — in his head.”
D4 Bait Co. currently has 22 designs following common bass forms, along with trout, crappie, panfish and inshore saltwater baits. At the outset, Rosado helped Blansett search various bait name options to confirm availability. Ultimately, creativity sprang from the purest inspiration.
“My dad was a police officer, so I wanted to use the [phonetic alphabet used by the military and law enforcement],” Blansett said.
Examples include: Delta Crawlers, Tango Craws, Charlie Crickets (a small cricket bait for trout) and his personal favorite, a stickworm he calls the Tango Stix. The D4 Bait Co. lineup also reflects Blanchett’s Tennessee heritage with names like Smokey Mountain Minnow, Rocky Top Runner, Nashville Nightcrawler, Battle Creek Beaver Tail and Sweet Tea Swimmer.
Blansett currently sells his baits through local brick-and-mortar businesses as well as his Facebook business page, D4 Bait Co. Still in the early goings, Blansett said his productivity follows demand, but a good month would see him filling 50 packages.
Already eyeing expansion, Blansett plans to add hooks and jigheads to his offerings.
Stepping up
For Detective Matt Blansett, Aug. 23, 2022, was his end of watch.
For Maddox Blansett, it was the beginning of his.
“He feels that responsibility that, ‘I have to make Banks into a real man and teach him to do all the [outdoor stuff],’” Rosado said. “He’s like, ‘I’m the man of the house.’
“I’m like, ‘You definitely are the man of the house.’ He has some big shoes to fill, though.”
Suffice to say, Blansett’s up for the challenge.
“My brother was really young [5] when my father passed away, so he didn’t really get to know him like I did,” Blansett said. “I wanted to create this bait company so my brother would have someone to look up to like I did.
“I love fishing, and my father did as well. Now, I’m hoping I can get my brother into it as well.”
The path forward
Recalling his father’s counsel, Blansett said: “He just taught me to not be greedy; he really showed me how he gave back to the community, and I want to do that as well.
“He was a great example of how to live life and be a good person. He taught me how to be just like he was.”
For now, he’s making baits, but Blansett is still looking to the future. As D4 Bait Co. grows, he would like to start a scholarship fund like the one that was established in his father’s name.
“I really didn’t know how much he impacted the people around me, but I realized after he passed away how much they loved him,” Blansett said of his father’s civic legacy. “I want to carry on the tradition. I know no one will forget about him, but I just want to do the same thing for Marion County.
“To honor my father, I want to inspire young fishermen who have the same passion that me and my father shared.”
Anchored in the roots of his father’s selflessness, Blansett hopes that his story can offer encouragement for others entering the path he’s walked.
“I have met many people that have lost a parent like me and I just tell them it’s hard at first, but there’s always good that comes out of it.
“If you have memories, hold on to them. It gets better over time.”
Originally appeared in Bassmaster Magazine 2025.
