Play Big Bass Bonanza Slot

Big Bass Bonanza keeps its fishing trip fairly simple: ten paylines, a handful of fishing symbols and a bonus built around one fisherman. Released in December 2020 by Pragmatic Play in partnership with Reel Kingdom, it is the original game behind the wider Big Bass series. You can find it among our online slots at talkSPORT BET, with its rules and stake controls available inside the game.

This review concerns the original Big Bass Bonanza, rather than Splash, Megaways or later sequels.

The original uses five reels with three symbols visible on each. All ten paylines stay active, so changing your stake changes the amount wagered rather than the number of lines being played.

Most of the extra activity comes during Free Spins. Fish arrive carrying values, the Fisherman collects them, and a meter records his appearances. That relationship is the part to understand before playing: a fish value on screen and a collected fish value aren't the same thing.

Open the game tile and take a look at the information menu before your first spin. It shows the paylines, symbol awards and feature conditions for the version you're using. The total stake is the figure to check, particularly if the controls also display a coin value or line-bet amount.

To play Big Bass Bonanza at talkSPORT BET:

1. Log in, or register and complete the required account checks. You must be 18 or over.
2. Open Big Bass Bonanza and read the game rules.
3. Choose your total stake from the available controls.
4. Press Spin to start a round.
5. Let the round finish, then review any displayed win or feature award.

A normal line win needs matching symbols on consecutive reels, starting from the leftmost reel and following one of the ten paylines. Symbols can look close together without forming a winning line; the payline diagrams explain the required paths.

The card symbols run from 10 through to Ace. Alongside them are a fish, tackle box, dragonfly, fishing reel and float. The float sits at the top of the ordinary symbol paytable.

Rather than quoting a cash payout without a stake attached, use the paytable inside the game. It shows what each combination pays at your selected bet and makes it easier to distinguish a line award from a bonus collection.

The three symbols to recognise for the feature are:

Scatters do not need to follow a payline to trigger the feature. Money Fish collections have their own conditions too, so don't judge every symbol by the left-to-right matching rule.

The hooked Bass scatters open the bonus when three or more appear on the same base-game spin. The initial award depends on how many land:

Once the feature starts, the selected stake carries into those Free Spins. The meter tracks your progress during the feature.

An initial award of ten spins does not mean the round will necessarily reach a multiplier level. It can end without a retrigger. Equally, collecting enough fishermen can add further spins before the feature finishes.

A Money Fish carries a value that can be collected when a Fisherman lands on the same bonus spin. He gathers the values of the visible Money Fish, rather than needing them to sit beside him on a payline.

Suppose two fish display £1 and £2. With one collecting Fisherman and no additional multiplier, that collection totals £3. Without a collecting Fisherman, those displayed amounts are not automatically awarded. Any separate line win is evaluated under its own rules.

The Fisherman has another job as a wild symbol, standing in for ordinary paying symbols to help complete line combinations. His appearance also counts towards the bonus meter.

That meter tracks fishermen, not the number of fish collected. A screen containing several Money Fish therefore doesn't by itself take you to the next stage.

Four Fisherman Wilds complete the first collection stage. The reward is another ten Free Spins, with subsequent fish collections using a 2x multiplier. Further sets of four fishermen take the feature to 3x and then 10x.

The original game has three retrigger stages. You don't begin the bonus at 10x, and the changing multiplier doesn't mean every ordinary line win receives the same increase.

Reaching 2x doesn't guarantee the next set of four fishermen will appear.

There is one more detail in the original bonus that is easy to overlook. If a Fisherman lands without any Money Fish, Dynamite may activate. The animation replaces selected symbols with fish, which can then be collected.

It is a possible event within Free Spins, not a separate bonus you choose from a menu. A Fisherman arriving on an otherwise fish-free screen doesn't guarantee Dynamite will follow.

Later Big Bass slots have additions that aren't part of this game.

The listed maximum win for Big Bass Bonanza is up to 2,100 times the stake. Individual Money Fish values can reach up to 2,000 times the stake, which is a different figure from the overall game limit.

The maximum is a cap, not an expected result. It also limits the overall award; applying a feature multiplier does not remove that limit. Check the live game's information panel for its maximum-win conditions.

You can find the RTP information there too. Read the details for the version you have opened rather than relying on a figure from another casino or another Big Bass game. RTP describes a theoretical long-term average, not an amount due back during your session.

If a demo option is available, you can play Big Bass Bonanza free using virtual credits. Check the game launcher for availability and any access requirements.

Demo credits have no cash value. They let you see the controls and feature explanations in action, but the results don't predict what would happen in real-money play. Seeing a bonus in a demo doesn't make one more likely on your next paid spin.

Free play also differs from the game's Free Spins feature. The first uses virtual funds; the second is a bonus round within the slot. Promotional spins, if offered, are separate again and come with their own conditions.

The original's strength is how little there is to keep track of outside the bonus. Its fixed lines and compact reel layout leave the collection feature to provide most of the variation. The trade-off is that the base game may feel repetitive if you prefer several different features.

Compared with later Big Bass slots, the rules are relatively uncluttered. You watch for scatters, then follow the fisherman meter and the fish collections. That makes the structure easy to follow without making the outcome predictable.

For a comparison across the series, our guide to the best Big Bass games explains how the follow-ups change that formula. Big Bass Splash adds more feature variations, while Big Bass Hold and Spinner introduces a Hold and Spin element. Our fishing slots guide also covers titles beyond this series.