Frabill Flow Troll Minnow Bucket, 6-qt

I use this bucket to keep my perch in--for catfishing at night. It does keep them alive, underwater in the lake, for days. Or, it will hold minnows, for crappie fishing. My last one, just like this, I had over 10 years--until someone stole it.

This is a simple, no-bells-and-whistles minnow bucket. I've only had it for about a week, and I've only used it in the field once (so far), but I can attest that it's a great little short-term bucket. It has no aerator, it has no temperature-control settings, etc. and it has a 6-quart (1.5 gallon) capacity. So whatever live minnows you put inside it today...you'd better use them today. Unless you have an aquarium setup at home (where you can house live minnows until your next fishing trip), your best bet is to just use the minnows, and dump any unused ones into the lake/stream. Although the overall capacity is 6 quarts, the actual "useable" volume is probably closer to 4 quarts. If the vessel is filled more than about 2/3 of the way, water (and probably some little fish) will slosh out through the trapdoor opening. Again, this is not a problem if you're bringing just a couple dozen minnows. I haven't had the opportunity test its maximum minnow capacity, but I really wouldn't recommend loading more than 2 dozen into it at one time. The minnows would be pretty crowded, competing for oxygen, and you'll have quite a few dead ones before you use them all. Overall, though: for the price I paid ($10.50), it's a well-constructed, reliable bucket.