Looking for options to keep bait alive, I fish off a pontoon that doesn't have a live well. Does anybody have any recommendations?

Greyline bait tanks.

I picked up a 5 gallon bucket bucket from walmart for 4$ and got a AA battery air pump from academy for 3$. The pump will last about 24 hours continuous. Works great IMO

Bait as in Shad ?
Or perch and minnows?
Your needs will determine the answer-

I did the same thing with the 5 gallon bucket and it works great. I've kept a lot of perch alive in it

I also bought a bubbler that plugs in at home so I'm not using batteries all the time. the longest I've kept perch alive is about 6 days in the colder months. Put em in the shed and left em

Shad and Perch both. I didn't know there would be a difference. I would like something for both if possible. Thanks for the info fellas

One of the keys to keeping shad alive is not have corners in whatever you put em in. Coolers are fine for perch but not shad. For shad get something round. Those big plastic buckets (25 gal+) with an aerator would work for shad. But shad a sensitive so they might die anyways. Perch will in a bucket, a cooler, tote box, etc... as long as you have an aerator.

About the corners, shad bang there heads against them. That's why you want something round

Oh okay, I did not know that. Thanks for the info. Sounding like the 5 gallon bucket with aerator is the way to go, without spending hundreds on

Also in my experience never mix your shad and perch together. For some reason the shad die faster. They also produce alot of slime and kills the perch. I've never had shad last very Long. The bigger ones, if not to many, may last an hour or so in the 5 gallon setup.

For big gizzards you'll want something bigger than a 5 gal bucket. But it'll work for threadfin and smaller gizzards

PM Me I can get you all laid out with the Bait well Filter system and all,

http://www.ehow.com/way_5670138_homemade-bait-well-shad.html

Here's a link that tells you how to make your own homemade shad tank. And I imagine you can make it for less than $150 which isn't even a fraction of the costs you would pay for one of the overpriced custom made name brand shad tanks they sell online... hope this helps. I think I actually may make my own as well!!

Actually there is a nice oval aerated one at academy. Has insulated soft cover with pockets and carry straps, works great for minnows and would work well for a dozen or so threadfins. Has D cell air pump.