Marlin Catch: Slot Overview

Fishing is a hugely popular hobby, and it’s no surprise it has made the jump from lakes, rivers, and oceans onto slot reels in a big way. Pragmatic Play’s smash hit Big Bass Bonanza is one of many that nailed the vibe for stay-at-home anglers, and its success clearly didn’t go unnoticed by rival studio Stakelogic. Stakelogic has a reputation for taking inspiration from what’s already working, and this time they’ve delivered a fishing-themed slot that feels closely related to BBB. That said, Marlin Catch isn’t a straight copy, as there are no money symbols—meaning there’s no money symbol collection, which was a defining feature of Big Bass Bonanza and similar titles. Instead, Stakelogic has adjusted a number of parts to create a noticeably punchier game overall. Ready to set sail?

Marlin Catch places players either under the surface or looking down into crystal-clear water, where fish drift by and coral quietly fills the scene. Like many fishing slots in the same vein, Marline Catch is bold, colourful, and approachable, with chunky symbols dominating the reels. The reels themselves are transparent, giving outdoors-minded players a clearer look at the underwater world moving beneath.

Since fishing is for anyone with a rod, Marlin Catch is built to run smoothly on any device, offering stakes from 10 p/c to $/€20. It’s a medium/high volatile slot, rated 4 out of 5, and the RTP is available in multiple setups, reaching up to 96.5%. However, it’s not stated whether the RTP differs between the default mode and any of the four available bonus buy options.

The game uses a 5×3 sized game panel with 10 fixed paylines, where wins land by forming combinations of three or more from the lefthand side across the lines. The first five paytable symbols are inflated BBB-style 10-A card royals, paying 1-5x the bet for five on a payline. Premiums include hooks, rods, coral, and life rings, which return 10-200x the bet for five of a kind. Wilds match the top premium’s value and substitute for any standard paying symbols.

Marlin Catch: Slot Features

Notably, Marlin Catch skips the money symbol collection mechanic, which is an unexpected omission. In its place, the game includes free spins with sticky multiplier wilds, a collection bar system, a gamble feature, and feature buys.

Gamble Option

After each winning combination, players can choose to gamble or simply take the payout. In the gamble game, selecting the correct suit or colour from a face-down card boosts the win by four times or doubles it, while a wrong pick means the winnings are lost.

Free Spins

Hitting 3, 4, or 5 marlin scatter symbols grants 10, 15, or 20 free spins, respectively. During this mode, several additional rules apply. One is that when wilds appear, they stick in position for the next spin. If new wilds land on the following spin, all previous wilds get a +1 multiplier increase – up to a maximum of x7. If no wilds show up on the next spin, the previous wild multipliers are reduced by 1, or if they have no multiplier, they are removed from the reels.

A collection symbol and collection bar are also active in free spins. Whenever the fisherman symbol lands, it is collected on the bar, even when it appears behind a sticky wild. For every 3 fishermen symbols collected, players receive more spins and increases the win multiplier:

• 3 collectors award +10 free spins and an x2 win multiplier
• 6 collectors award +8 free spins and an x3 win multiplier
• 9 collectors award +6 free spins and an x5 win multiplier
• 12 collectors award +4 free spins and an x10 win multiplier

Buy Feature

For players who can use it, Marlin Catch provides four options to buy the bonus round. Paying 100x, 500x, or 1,000x the bet awards 10, 15, or 20 free spins. Alternatively, you can take a chance on the lucky dip by spending 375x the bet.

Marlin Catch: Slot Verdict

Given how well Big Bass Bonanza and its sequels were received, it’s hardly shocking to see imitators appearing. That it’s coming from Stakelogic—who are comfortable borrowing concepts—makes it feel even more predictable. Not necessarily ethical concerns, but Avatar UX’s legal dispute over their PopWins mechanic did leave Stakelogic boxed in, with licensing ultimately becoming the only solution.

It seems doubtful anything similar will play out between Stakelogic and Pragmatic Play over Marlin Catch. One reason is that Big Bass Bonanza itself drew heavily from earlier ideas. Maybe Stakelogic has taken that on board, because the overlap here is less direct. Most notably, the money symbol collection is gone, replaced with a sticky wild multiplier mechanic that can genuinely explode. The way existing wild multipliers rise when new wilds land—or drop when they don’t—is a smart touch.

The ability to jump straight into free spins via a purchase will also suit certain impatient anglers. It’s as though Stakelogic kept the parts they enjoyed, stripped out what they didn’t, and then pushed the remaining ideas further. One of the clearest separators is the gap in potential: while BBB capped at 2,100x, Marlin Catch swims in much deeper territory, where players can technically reel in up to 25,000x the bet.

Marlin Catch changes enough to stand alongside the slot it resembles rather than simply trying to replace it. In other words, there’s room for both. The additions and tweaks Stakelogic has made give Marlin Catch more individuality than it first appears to have. The same on-the-water feeling is still there—only now players can buy into the bonus, gamble wins if they choose, and chase sticky wild multipliers in free spins, putting far bigger catches within reach.