Fishin’ Reels: Slot Overview

Ever since its 2014 debut, Reel Time Gaming’s classic Fishin’ Frenzy has resurfaced in plenty of different forms. Alongside the inevitable Megaways revamp, its collect-style bonus concept has remained a favourite with both studios and players. Pragmatic Play clearly liked the idea enough to deliver what feels like Fishin’ Frenzy 2.0 — even the title is close. Fishin’ Reels keeps the core gameplay that made the original so popular, while also introducing a second bonus feature.

Fishin’ Reels runs on 5 transparent reels, giving an unobstructed look at the underwater backdrop — fish glide past, bubbles drift upward, and shadows sway across the seabed. The clear water and warm sunlight make the scene feel almost tropical, like the kind of place you’d go snorkelling, maybe even spear a couple of Hogfish and cook them up on the beach later. The base-game audio can start to feel repetitive, but once free spins hit, the banjo takes centre stage and really cuts loose. It’s not exactly groundbreaking, but visually Fishin’ Reels is a noticeable upgrade, so if you want something big, bright, and cute rather than the original’s more old-school style, this is the better pick.

On the numbers side, things look pretty good too — mostly. The default RTP is strong, as is often the case with Pragmatic Play, sitting at 96.5%. Volatility is also high, rated 5 out of 5. With stakes from 10 p/c to $/€100 per spin, the game uses only 10 paylines for wins made from three or more matching symbols. The icons are as bold and colourful as the rest of the presentation, beginning with 4 card suit symbols, flippers, and snorkelling equipment. Then come 4 premium sea creatures — starfish, lobsters, and frogs paying 30 to 50 times your bet. The final symbol is a mischievous-looking fish that pays when at least 2 appear, reaching up to 100x the bet for 5 of a kind. Finally, appearing on reels 2, 3, or 4 is the wild, which substitutes for everything except bonus, fisherman, or fish money symbols.

Fishin’ Reels: Slot Features

Anyone who enjoys hauling in rewards will be glad to see the classic reeling mechanic included in Fishin’ Reels, along with a fresher extra feature. Rest assured, it still centres on baiting up and pulling fish from the water.

One of the ocean’s prized catches is the spiky nosed marlin — and it’s also the key symbol you want in Fishin’ Reels. It appears as the bonus icon and can land on any reel. Landing 3 or more activates the free spins feature. Specifically, 3, 4, or 5 on the reels awards 10, 12, or 15 free spins, respectively. Pragmatic Play’s big twist comes right here: instead of jumping straight into the round, you first select 1 of 2 options depending on your preference. On the left is Reel’ Em In, designed to pay smaller amounts more frequently, while on the right is The Big Catch, intended to pay less often but with bigger rewards — at least in theory. Here’s what each option includes;

• Reel ‘Em In is the standard Fishin’ Frenzy bonus game. Here, fish symbols land with a cash value of 0.5x to 250x the bet attached to them. If they hit at the same time as a fisherman symbol on reel 5, he reels in the values for players to collect. Can of worms symbols may also land. If the fisherman reels these in, they award +2 free spins each.
• The Big Catch introduces a Big Catch Symbol icon which appears randomly as an overlay on top of any other pay symbol. When 3 Big Catches hit, they trigger a fishing mini-game after any current wins are paid, also adding +2 extra free spins. In the bonus game, 8 fish displaying values of 0.2x to 250x the total bet are shown on screen. A fisherman casts off to catch one of them at random, adding its value to the prize pot. If all 8 fish are caught, overlay symbols no longer appear in the round.

Fishin’ Reels: Slot Verdict

If Pragmatic Play set out to deliver a modernised take on the classic Fishin’ Frenzy slot, then they’ve hit the mark. Fishin’ Reels is an obvious evolution — assuming the “copycat” angle doesn’t bother you. The visuals are vibrant and lively, backed by upbeat (if somewhat repetitive) music and plenty of cute animation touches. Despite being a technically highly volatile game, Fishin’ Reels feels thoroughly light-hearted. And unless you’re firmly attached to the past, it’s fair to say that if you like Fishin’ Frenzy, you’ll likely enjoy Pragmatic Play’s refreshed version too.

The biggest let-down for dedicated slot anglers is that the payouts aren’t particularly exciting. Even though the colourful underwater look has a hint of Razor Shark to it, it’s disappointing that the similarity doesn’t carry over to win potential — Fishin’ Reels tops out at 1,200x your bet. In that respect it remains fairly faithful to the original, but (unsurprisingly) it offers much less upside than Fishin’ Frenzy Megaways for anyone keeping score. And 1,200x isn’t just a rough ceiling; the game will literally stop if you reach this maximum.

Even with the originality question aside, Fishin’ Reels captures the charm that made the original Fishin’ Frenzy so appealing. The added bonus feature brings a bit of freshness, though the real separator is the visual overhaul, which makes Fishin’ Reels feel like a genuine reboot. It’s not a bad slot by any means, but the limited potential holds it back and may be a deciding factor for players comparing fishing-themed games.