The local bait shop went out of business so I am looking for options to keep minnows alive this year. I am hoping to buy minnows alive in bulk then keep them alive. I have about a 1/4 acre pond and would like to keep them in some sort of cage. I was thinking of building a decent size cage that was a few feet deep and having it on floats in the pond. The pond has an aerator in it and I am located in Iowa. Has anyone tried this or is doing it now?

My other option is just set up a freezer bait tank in my shop but I would like not to take up the floor space.