Ultimate Big Bass Slot Series Guide for 2026

Welcome to the Ultimate Big Bass Slot Series Guide. The most comprehensive look at one of the biggest and most successful slot series ever. From when the Big Bass Bonanza slot first made a splash in 2020 to the very latest releases. 

This guide will cover countless sequels and spin-offs that have been spawned to keep the Big Bass game a dominant force in online casinos.

What is the Big Bass Series? 

Presented by...

Rod McReel Lake Jackpotta Head of Rod & Reels

Well, hello there, fishing fans, good of you to join us. I’m Rod McReel; you’ll often find me amongst the fishing slots, reviewing games and bringing you all the free-to-play demos. But for this guide, I’m here to give you an honest fisherman’s tale. One about the Big Bass slot, and how it changed the waters of fishing slots forever.The year was 2020, and it all began one cold December morning…

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Gone Fishing: Pragmatic Play and Reel Kingdom

…In the offices of Pragmatic Play, developers are hard at work, not in readiness for Christmas, but to come up with a new slot game. For the studio needs to make a profit this winter, and time is running out. 

“Where’s my new game?” Pragmatic Play yells into the office. The silence is cut by the noise of a chair as its legs rub across the cold wooden floor. Footsteps make their way into the room where Pragmatic Play sits. These are the footsteps of Reel Kingdom, the clerk of the gaming enterprise. 

“Sir, I have one idea. I call it Big Bass slot. It’s a fishing game, sir.” Reel Kingdom hands over the plans and ideas for the game and watches the vacant gaze in the eyes of a disgruntled Pragmatic Play.

Anyway… long story short, fishing fans, Pragmatic Play accepted the proposal, allowing Reel Kingdom to build the game, which Pragmatic Play later optimized and distributed throughout hundreds of online casinos. This meant saving the company and Reel Kingdom’s son, Tiny Spin.

The End.

How to Play Big Bass Slots

Before the first release of Big Bass, online slots were on an evolutionary march. Casino games were getting bigger, bolder, some would argue more complex, and were certainly becoming more packed with in-play features. What Pragmatic Play and Reel Kingdom did was reinvent the older model and modernize the classic standard. This is how you get this appealing mix of unique features, high stakes, and retained old-school arcade-like animation and sound. After copious sequels, this new standard remains.

Gaming Mechanics – Paylines and Layout

One of the core foundations that remains a familiar constant is the slot’s layout. This is often a five-reel, three-row grid that comes with ten paylines. This is not to say the developers haven’t bent the rules slightly. When arcing the game into spin-offs and sequels, like Bigger Bass Bonanza, this upped the numbers and gave players twelve paylines, with a grid of five reels and four rows. 

With the evolution of Megaways (developed by Big Time Gaming), the dynamics naturally changed once more. This gave Big Bass fans a grid of six reels that produces up to 46,656 ways to win, because each reel could contain between two and seven rows of symbols. 

Bonus Lure: Free Spins and Multiplier Trail

One of the key recognizable features of the games in this series is the long-standing Free Spins bonus. Since the first Big Bass Bonanza free spins, the dynamic hasn’t changed. Land three bonus scatter symbols to initiate the bonus round. 

What comes with this is a progression trail. You will move along the trail with every Fisherman symbol (Collect symbol) that lands. With every fourth one, you will land on a marker that rewards more free spins and gives you a boosted multiplier. 

The trail will require three Fisherman symbols at the start. The next one to land will earn more free spins, with a multiplier added of 2x. For the next marker, it becomes 3x with more spins awarded. Then, a 10x multiplier on the last marker of the trail. This is the same across every Big Bass slot and the Free Spins bonus. 

Money Fish and Collector

Throughout the series, if you are lucky enough to land access to the Free Spins bonus round, you will come across Fish symbols of various sizes and values. To win, you must simultaneously land the Collector symbol. The Collector for this series is the Fisherman. If you play Big Bass Bonanza Hold & Spinner, landing coin and diamond symbols can activate a Respin feature. 

Special Features: The Tackle Box of Hooks, Bazooka, Dynamite, and more

One of the standout features that appeals to so many players is the series’ selection of modifiers. Their purpose is to maximize your chances of catching cash and netting second-chance opportunities. Your Big Bass gaming mods include:

• Dynamite = Clears the slot of low-paying symbols and replaces them with higher-valued ones. It becomes activated when Fish symbols land without the Fisherman Collect.

• Bazooka = When fired into the slot, all non-Fisherman symbols transform into new symbols, which can potentially bring about Fish symbols. 

• Hooks = At random points in play, a large hook can descend into the reels to pull them upward and reveal Scatter symbols or Fisherman symbols from below the depths of the bottom row.

• Chainsaw/Slicing Mod = If the Fisherman lands with no Fish symbols, this mod can slice up reels and turn low-valued symbols into Fish symbols. Example: Big Bass Halloween 2.

• Tsunami = As featured in Big Bass Day at the Races and others. This feature triggers when no Fish symbols land, but a Fisherman does. The reaction causes a wave to pass over the slot, resetting the symbols and adding Fish symbols. 

• Pre-Bonus Mods = Within some games, there is a pre-bonus mini-game that will determine the kind of bonus round to follow. Example: Secrets of the Golden Lake, where you will play a card Pick-Me game.

RTP, Volatility, Max Win, and Buy Features

With well over forty games in the series, the RTP has remained fairly consistent at roughly 96.71%. However, it must be stated that Pragmatic Play can incorporate operator RTP ranges, which allow casinos to adjust the percentage settings so that they can go as low as 94%. 

Now, when it comes to the Maximum amount you can win, the slot series crosses a line in gaming that used to feature a win cap, so regardless of the stake and win, all wins would be capped at 2,100x your bet. However, as times and games changed, the max win upscaled to amounts of 10,000x and even 20,000x with games like Big Bass Bonanza 1000. 

The option of the Buy Feature appears from the very first game and throughout the series. Over time, the option of buying your way into bonus rounds has become tiered, allowing different options at different prices. Whereas the first Big Bass slot game only had a Buy Free Spins side bet that cost 100x your bet.

The Complete List of Big Bass Slots 2020 to 2026

Please note that some RTPs can be adjusted by the casino, as can the maximum betting cost.

How to Spot a Big Bass Slot

For much of the series, the slots stick to a very simplistic design rule. Bright, colorful, and friendly, with the grid of rows and reels placed underwater. The hallmarks are the green bass used as the Fish symbols and the distinguishably recognizable bearded Fisherman. When the series delves into variant sequels, these recognizable markers remain 99% of the time. When changing the themes, mechanics, and programming, Big Bass’s notable qualities still appeared on the surface. 

Megaways and Variants

To help evolve both the game and the series, Reel Kingdom and Pragmatic Play incorporated mechanical elements to help modernize slots for an expectant audience. The first move was to obtain licensing permission for Megaways, which was later used for Big Bass Bonanza Megaways and Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways. Players could now experience the most popular fishing slot online with up to 147,456 ways to win. The change didn’t stop there, as variants naturally emerged over the months and years, allowing tweaks and upgrades. 

1000 Editions and Highest Max Wins

Upgrades within the Big Bass slots became part of a spin-off 1000 series within the Pragmatic Play universe. This took several flagship games and revamped them with higher prizes that typically came from a massive multiplier upgrade. Now, for me, this area of upgrading is where I feel Pragmatic Play lets its audience down. Leave legacy games as they’re remembered, and make new games with higher rewards and bigger multipliers instead. With the boost in higher winnings, it shifted games into a higher volatility bracket, which limits the frequency of wins, despite being able to reward bigger wins.

Big Bass Bonanza 1000: This swapped the original 2,100x jackpot for a 20,000x one. All from a raised multiplier that was 1,000x your bet.

Big Bass Splash 1000: This upgrade revamped the original model to give players a 25,000x jackpot. It also provided the new 1,000x multiplier.

Other games in the Pragmatic Play 1000 series included Gates of Olympus 1000, Sugar Rush 1000, Sweet Bonanza 1000, and Starlight Princess 1000.

That means it has become a real tried and tested formula which gets rolled out across multiple popular titles. If you like the Big Bass 1000 series, you should check the others out too. If you want. 

Seasonal Themed Slots

From the holly jolly Christmas to the frighteningly unholy Halloween, Big Bass serves up several alternative fishing outings. Now, many will argue that the changes made are merely reskins, alternative designs with no changes to the core gameplay. Well, that’s fine as long as the results work. I’m all for swapping a rod for a chainsaw, or having a snowplow instead of a boat; it all works in the end, because you still receive those expected Pragmatic Play and Reel Kingdom qualities. 

Christmas Editions:

Halloween Editions:

Big Days Out 

If you’re a little woozy on the water, then break away from the fishing outings to take in some other sporting relief.  

The Best of Big Bass 

With so many games to experience in this series, you may naturally want to veer to the best Big Bass slot, so which are they? Well, there is no single or collective answer. If you’re new to the game, it’s likely better to play something more grounded in the legacy area than pick up a seasonal slot. Plus, you might want the best RTP or highest volatility. Or you may prefer innovative mechanics. So, let’s look at all these options to see which best suits you.

Best Beginner’s Slot

First and foremost, never dive into the lake of real-money games before you test the demos. If you want to play Big Bass for real money, then head to the Big Bass Bonanza demo first. Now, if this is your first step into this series, then stick to the legacy games first to familiarize yourself with the foundational mechanics and features that will become key dynamics in pretty much 95% of the series. 

My top three for beginner players:

• Big Bass Bonanza

• Big Bass Bonanza Keeping it Reel

• Big Bass Hold & Spinner  

Best Big Bass Slot with Highest RTP 

The RTP of a slot is the Return to Player. It highlights what you can technically ‘catch’ over the amount of time you spend ‘fishing’ for wins. The RTP itself is based on millions of test spins during programming to calculate what could be ‘netted’ based on the amount of ‘bait’ you’d put into the slot.

There are six games with the highest Big Bass RTP, all matching 96.71% RTP:

• Big Bass Bonanza

• Bigger Bass Bonanza

• Big Bass Splash

• Christmas Big Bass Bonanza

• Big Bass Christmas Bash

• Big Bass Halloween 2

Best Big Bass Slot with Highest Volatility      

The volatility of a game is like your frequency of catches. You could land small but frequent catches, or be left waiting until you hook a big win. With high-volatility slots, it usually means the latter, which is why there is a huge appeal for such games. When it comes to the best high-volatility slots, I have also taken on board the best value-for-money experience, with top features and performance.

My top three high volatility slots:

• Big Bass Splash 

• Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways

• Big Bass Amazon Xtreme

Best Innovations within Big Bass Series        

Innovation revives gaming ideas, allowing growth in both design and technical ability. There are plenty of slots in this series, and while some titles come with near-mirrored components, there are three standout slots that are, in my opinion, the most innovative slots in the series. 

• Big Bass Splash: Introduced players to the pre-bonus mini-game and presents a 5,000x your bet jackpot.

• Big Bass Blast: Allows the Collection of Fish within the base game, not just for the Bonus. It also has a 5,000x max payout.

• Big Bass and the Secrets of the Golden Lake: Introduces a new bonus format that only uses money symbols, much like a Respin bonus format. 

My Favorite Slots

I have seen every release from Pragmatic Play come off their production conveyor belt one-by-one. In this time, I have formed my own opinion about the highs and lows of this series. It’s by no means perfect, but the masses have placed it high on the podium of the most popular gaming series you can play inside the casinos. So, which are my favorites? Well, seeing as you all are asking, I’ve picked my top five – in no particular order.

Big Bass Bonanza 

Cliché? Highly, but before this game, the biggest fishing-themed slot was Blueprint Gaming’s Fishin’ Frenzy, which was as basic as basic gets. Big Bass took the main Collect idea but bulked the game with its Free Spins bonus. It stood the test of time, got player approval, and more than forty slot sequels later, it has done things for Pragmatic Play that every slot developer would die to have: domination!

Big Bass Halloween 2

Creepy, horrid, and it looks like you’re fishing in something else that’s not water, if you get me. The animation is improved, the money symbol went up to 5,000x, and the bonus game of up to twenty free spins provided a pre-bonus round to adopt a bonus modifier. My favorite feature is when only two scatters land; it triggers a nudge and respin that can potentially land the all-important third scatter bonus symbol. 

Big Bass Crash

This is not a conventional slot; it’s a crash game. Crash games are totally different to a slot machine. With a Crash game, you have to place a bet on how long the net can stay attached to the Fisherman’s boat as it trawls for fish. You call the shots on when to end the game and claim your winnings, but if that net detaches, all bets are off, and you lose. All other crash games take on flight themes, rockets and planes, but this Big Bass version works so incredibly well.

Big Bass Secrets of the Golden Lake

First, the design concept is genius, but the standout feature is the Golden Lake Free Spins. The bonus performs like a Respins bonus, only using blank symbols, Fish symbols, and Collector symbols. The Collectors can also come with a multiplier to boost wins, and the money values you can win are far superior in sum than in any other bonus game I can remember. The buy feature gives you a choice of the regular Free Spins or the Golden Lake Free Spins.

Big Bass Vegas Double Down Deluxe

Neon night fishing in the state of Nevada. It’s Vegas, but not as we’re used to seeing it. The slot ticks all my boxes for features, which include 5,000x Fish symbols, a Scatter symbol nudge feature if you land two, with a respin activated if the scatter is still on the grid. There’s a Duel-Collect and up to twenty-five Free Spins, one of the highest in the series.

Strategies and Tips for Big Bass Gaming       

When you play any online slot, the key factor is the budget. The most vital strategy in gambling is the preservation of funds. This means choosing games that have value to them, betting smart, and quitting when it ain’t working. 

If you want to play Big Bass Bonanza, first try the demo before you start spinning the reels for real money. Head to our Big Bass Bonanza review to access the demo or play through our mobile app. Practice using your budget values; stick to amounts you can afford in real-world terms. If Big Bass Bonanza doesn’t excite you, or perhaps your luck just isn’t in, then move on to the next game in the series and test that. 

It is up to you to understand a game and assess its performance before gambling real money. I often see far too many players wasting money going from game to game when the same experience is available for free, to help understand how the game would have performed without any real losses.

One last piece of advice: avoid Megaways; these carry lower values on paying symbols. This factors into the value-for-money aspect.

Conclusion and Evolution of the Big Bass Series

Is Big Bass the greatest slot series ever? No. It’s far from perfect, but what Pragmatic Play has created is something that appeals to many players. The series provides players with familiar performances across a microcosm of themes that change the gaming landscape, mechanics, and prize money. The games and the series are grounded in this familiarity; everything is tuned to keeping it simple, and nothing is ever over-the-top.

Changes do happen, and are often related to technical trends that provide the series with a more natural evolution, rather than a forced one. Pragmatic Play adopted the Megaways and the Collect feature. Their finest contribution to the world of slots is the creation of the Bonus Trail used in all Free Spins bonuses. 

Now, are you ready for a spot of fishing?