Updated
Lisa Michaels
Bait your hook, cast your line and prepare for the fishing opportunity of a lifetime in Big Bass Bonanza Megaways. Reel Kingdom and Pragmatic Play have teamed up to give the hugely popular fishing slot the Megaways makeover. You can expect many ways to win, exciting bonus features and the possibility of winning 4,000x your bet. Find out how to play and the bonus features in our full review, or play the free demo to experience it yourself.
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Load up the game to bring up the reels in the centre of the screen. There are six standard reels and one horizontal. Each vertical reel can contain between two and seven symbols. Below the reels are the main controls, with the spin button to the right and the plus and minus symbols on either side used to control your bet size.
If you want to set up the reels to spin automatically, use the autoplay feature beneath the spin button. Directly below the reels, the game displays your current win, and to the left of this is your bet size and total credits available to play with.
To the right of the horizontal reel, you’ll see the current number of ways to win. The interface in the bottom left corner lets you adjust the sound or open the menu to view the game rules and payables.
Opening the paytable will show you all the game’s symbols and their values. It’s a good idea to check this before you start spinning so you know what to expect. The game features a total of thirteen symbols. There are ten regular symbols and three which unlock special bonus features.
The paytable starts with the A-10 playing card symbols, each with a different value. Landing six 10s across the reels will award a 0.8x payout, while six Js will reward you with a 0.9x payout. Qs and Ks will award a 1x payout for six of a kind, while the A symbol will pay up to 1.75x your bet.
During the base game, the fish symbols will also pay up to 1.75x your bet for six of a kind. The dragonfly and bait box will each double your stake if you land six of a kind. If you land six fishing rods across the reels, you’ll win a 7.5x payout, while the float awards up to 50x your bet.
The wild is a fishing net that will substitute for any other symbol on the reels except for the scatter and angler. It helps you form winning combinations but only appears on the horizontal reel. The scatter is the key to unlocking the free spins bonus, while the angler will catch and collect fish during the bonus round.
This is a Megaways slot, so there aren’t any traditional paylines. Instead, wins are made by landing matching symbols across adjacent reels from left to right. Symbols on the horizontal reel can create wins with any reels directly below.
The number of symbols on each vertical reel can vary on every spin, which creates an ever-changing number of ways to win. Reels one and six can feature up to six symbols, while the others can contain up to five, plus the symbols of the horizontal reel above them. This means that there can be up to 46,656 ways to win.
As you play Big Bass Bonanza, there are lots of exciting bonus features that could help you reel in a big win:
The wild symbol can appear on the horizontal reel and substitute any other paying symbol in the game. It helps you form winning combinations, increasing your chance of landing a big win.
Also known as avalanches or cascades, these are almost always present in Megaways games, and Big Bass Bonanza Megaways is no different. Each time you win, the winning symbols are removed from the reels, causing new ones to fall and take their place. If you get lucky, you can chain multiple wins together from a single spin.
Hit three or more scatter symbols anywhere on the reels to trigger the free spins bonus round. Three scatters award ten free spins, four awards fifteen and five scatters unlock twenty.
Each angler symbol that shows up on the reels will be collected, and for every four collected, you trigger an additional ten free spins. In addition, the base multiplier increases from 1x to 2x, 3x, and then 10x. After the third retrigger, no more free spins can be unlocked.
During the free spins bonus round, the angler symbol can appear on the reels, instantly collecting the money value of any fish symbols in view.
If there’s an angler on the reels but no fish symbols, there’s a random chance for a stick of dynamite to explode, making fish money symbols appear in random positions. In addition, there’s a random chance for a bazooka to be fired at the reels, turning every non-angler symbol into a fish symbol.
This slot has a maximum win worth 4,000x of your bet. If you’re playing at the highest possible bet of $100 per spin, you could unlock a potential payout of $400,000 from a single spin.
This slot has an RTP rating of 95.66%, although it’s important to note that the rate can change depending on where you play. Always check the game information before you choose your bet and start spinning, as lower RTP rates will mean the game is less fair.
The volatility is high, so you can expect lower payout frequency even though the size of wins can be much more prominent on average. I was acutely aware of the volatility when I played, encountering some big wins early on thanks to the free spins bonus round. I did experience a long run of dead spins, but thanks to my bonus, I still ended the session with a healthy profit.
It’s a good idea to look at the RTP and volatility ratings when deciding which game to play and your bet per spin. Higher volatility games should be treated cautiously, ensuring your bet size is lower to preserve your bankroll. However, you should remember that slot outcomes are determined by random chance, and the RTP is calculated over thousands of spins. As a result, a standard playing session can yield very different results.
This game improves on other fishing slots, such as Fishin Frenzy, with updated graphics that make it a lot of fun to play. While it’s still not groundbreaking in terms of visuals, the symbol designs and animations add a touch of flair to the gameplay. I enjoyed the music and sound effects, too, which made each winning spin even more exciting.
Try Big Bass Bonanza Megaways for free with our demo version to explore the features, bonus rounds, and gameplay mechanics without spending any real money.
There is no shortage of fishing games, and the popularity of series such as Big Bass Bonanza and Fishin Frenzy means fishing enthusiasts have a vast range of options. Each one offers a different playing experience, although they share similar features. Fishin Frenzy and Fishin Frenzy Megaways have a traditional style, while Big Bass Bonanza uses better-quality graphics.
As far as Megaways slots go, Big Bass Bonanza lacks a bit of oomph, with a max win of 10,000x your bet and a relatively low number of ways to win. However, it still stands out from other series games and fishing slots thanks to its action-packed features. The free spins round is where things get exciting thanks to the cash collection, dynamite and bazooka, and the potential for win multipliers. However, the base game is still fun, thanks to tumbles and wilds.
Lisa started off as a croupier at her local casino. However she found her niche in writing and has subsequently used her real-world gambling experiences to help produce and review the many online slots that are released monthly. Lisa also contributes to keeping you up to date with Canadian newsworthy stories.
