Big Catch Bass Fishing Megaways: Slot Overview

In the never-ending cold war of fishing-themed slots, one of the heavy hitters in the genre, Blueprint Gaming, has launched another strike with Big Catch Bass Fishing Megaways. Instead of building a brand-new weapon from scratch, Blueprint Gaming has bolted the Megaways engine (with a few adjustments) onto the slightly older Big Catch Bass Fishing – which itself was essentially a reskin of Fishin’ Frenzy The Big Splash. So, much like a reel that keeps turning, the fishing-slot cycle keeps on spinning.

If you’ve already played Big Catch Bass Fishing, there isn’t a huge amount more to add—Big Catch Bass Fishing Megaways is very similar, just larger and more substantial in a few key areas. The most obvious change is the Megaways reel set, hovering just under the waterline and shown with a transparent look, letting you glimpse more of the natural scenery behind the active grid. The backdrop is made up of trees and mountains, so while Big Catch Bass Fishing Megaways isn’t exactly a “look at me” spectacle, it’s easy on the eye. With a bit of imagination, players can pretend they’ve stepped away from the daily grind for a moment to virtually enjoy nature—no traffic, deadlines, or bills in sight.

Big Catch Bass Fishing Megaways increases a few elements compared to the earlier version, and volatility is one of them, now listed as high. The RTP also gets a small lift, giving players a theoretical return of 96%, while the win potential has been noticeably boosted. The action plays out on a 6 reels grid with up to 5 rows per reel, delivering up to 15,625 ways to win. Players can jump in with stakes from 10 p/c to $/€100 per spin.

Looking at the paytable, the lower-value symbols are the 10 to A card royals with a fishy styling, followed by combinations of fish symbols, plus a tackle box, a dragonfly, and a boat as the 4 premium icons. Landing matching low pays across all 6 reels returns 2 to 5 times the bet, increasing to 10 to 200 times the bet for the other 4 symbol groups. Fisherman wilds can help complete wins by substituting for any standard paying symbol, but they only show up during free spins, not in the base game.

Big Catch Bass Fishing Megaways: Slot Features

In truth, the base game doesn’t offer much beyond landing ways wins, but things shift once at least 3 scatters land to activate free spins. Specifically, hitting 3, 4, 5, or 6 scatter symbols grants 10, 15, 20, or 50 free spins, respectively. Before the free spins round begins, fish appear on the screen for a pick ‘n’ click selection, where upgrades may be uncovered:

• Tackle Box Tag – adds a Cash tag to this symbol with values of 1x – 10x bet.
• Fly Tag – adds a Cash tag to this symbol with values of 1x – 10x bet.
• Rod Tag – adds a Cash tag to this symbol with values of 5x – 20x bet.
• Boat Tag – adds a Cash tag to this symbol with values of 5x – 50x bet.
• +Collect – Cash values are collected more than once.
• Re-spin – non-Cash and Fisherman symbols are respun. Respins continue until the win is no longer improved.
• +Games – up to 5 additional games are awarded.
• Next Level – the free spins trail moves to the next retrigger position. When awarded on the initial entry, players start from the retrigger position.
• Pick a Fish – extra pick a fish positions are added to the remaining trail.
• Minimum Megaways – a minimum number of Megaways are guaranteed of 5,000, 10,000x or 15,625.

Free Spins

Once players reveal ‘Start Free Games’ after choosing a fish, the free spins round kicks off. During free spins, the Fisherman wild collects the values of all Cash tags in view. Every time 4 Fisherman symbol land, a retrigger is triggered, awarding 10+ free spins. When retriggers occur, the Fisherman symbol can also gain a multiplier of up to x10, which is applied to any collected Cash symbol values.

Bonus Buy

Players can purchase direct entry to the free spins round for 100x the bet. When free spins are bought, the RTP stays unchanged at 96%.

Big Catch Bass Fishing Megaways: Slot Verdict

‘Animal rain’ sounds ridiculous, yet it’s a real phenomenon that’s been documented around the world. A recent case happened in Texarkana, Texas, in 2021, when fish reportedly fell from the sky during heavy rain. The idea is that creatures like fish can be lifted by waterspouts and then dropped elsewhere—often ending up all over social media. In a similar way, it can feel like we’re getting our own version of animal rain right now, as developers keep pouring fishing slot after fishing slot onto the market. That’s great news if you’re desperate to head back out on the water again, but less appealing if you’re tired of the relentless conveyor belt of these releases.

In terms of quality, Big Catch Bass Fishing Megaways rates well: it’s a neatly assembled Megaways title that simply happens to be built around aquatic life. It leans into the Cash symbol collection mechanic that’s popular in this style of game, and it’s difficult to point to any glaring design issues. On the other hand, it’s also tough to call it essential, because so much of what’s on offer here has been seen elsewhere in one form or another.

So, like a seafood buffet, it’s basically a matter of taste. Big Catch Bass Fishing Megaways does what you’d expect. Nothing terrible, but nothing truly exceptional either (although the Respin upgrade can be a nice touch, and a strong retrigger streak is always fun), and it gets on with delivering a dependable—if familiar—fishing slot powered by the Megaways engine.