Trying to keep shad alive without getting into a major tank with pumps, etc. I have a 5 gallon bucket that I put hundreds of holes in and it floats next to my boat. My question is.... A shad "roots" his nose back and forth nonstop and I believe they scrape their nose on the holes in the bucket and die quickly. Do you think they'll live longer if I only place the holes in the very bottom of the bucket? Here's my current bucket: Thanks.

I think the holes in the bottom would work better to keep them from rooting imho. 

Good luck, shad are extremely fragile. 

Holes in the bottom would be worth a shot.

 

Definitely try it and see how it goes. I have the best luck catching the shad and leaving them in a bucket for about 1 minute then change the water completely. There’s some nasty mess that comes out on the initial water change. You would think there’s constant water change happening with your bucket but I’ve never tried that method before. Maybe add a lid to keep the sun off them? I really like your idea and will probably try it in the future 

I'm looking forward to the day when blueback herring have been introduced into every fishery I go to. It's my understanding that any tank with corners will kill shad or allow them to kill themselves. And the circle where the flat bottom meets the sides is enough of a corner for them to die.

Holes in the bottom is how I did mine but they still die. I have a mesh floating bait tank and it keeps them better than the bucket, but they still die. I big shad tank is the only way you're keeping them alive for an extended period of time.

It failed. They still died about the same time as the bucket with holes around the sides. I gave up on the buckets and put them in my Phoenix livewell. Same results in about the same time frame. Red nosed, bruising on their bodies and dying in 30 min or so. What's the BEST tank to buy?