Few themes have grown as quickly as fishing. What began with simple fisherman-collects-fish bonuses has expanded into Megaways, Hold & Win, multi-stage upgrades, sticky Wilds, expanding reels and increasingly large max-win ceilings. Our list of the best fishing slots compares 12 standout games, including the biggest Big Bass and Fishin’ Frenzy releases alongside alternatives that take the theme in a different direction.
12 Fishing Slots Compared
| Game | Key Numbers | Why Play It? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Bass Bonanza Pragmatic Play · 5×3 · 10 lines |
Up to 20 Free Spins Multiplier up to 10x |
Original fisherman collect loop · retriggers · simple franchise benchmark | Play Now |
| Fishin’ Frenzy Blueprint Gaming · 10 lines · classic format |
96.12% RTP option Up to 20 Free Games |
Fisherman collects fish values · red/black gamble · simple traditional setup | Play Now |
| Big Bass Splash 1000 Pragmatic Play · 2025 · modern Big Bass |
25,000x max Money symbols up to 1,000x |
Up to 5 pre-bonus modifiers · 10x retrigger multiplier · higher ceiling | Play Now |
| Big Bass Bonanza 1000 Pragmatic Play · 5×3 · enhanced original |
20,000x max Money symbols up to 1,000x |
Classic Big Bass loop · hook trigger · 2x, 3x and 10x retrigger multipliers | Play Now |
| Big Bass Mission Fishin’ Pragmatic Play · two bonus routes |
Fish values up to 5,000x 4 Free Spins levels |
Choose Free Spins or Stack the Cash · robo-crabs · bomb multipliers | Play Now |
| Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways Pragmatic Play · 6 reels · Megaways |
147,456 ways Unlimited bonus retriggers |
Cascades · fisherman collector · separate Hold & Spin bonus | Play Now |
| Fishin’ Frenzy The Big Catch 3 Blueprint Gaming · 2025 · 10 lines |
10,000x max Fish can reach 50x |
Golden Fisherman upgrades · extra cash pots · Power Play | Play Now |
| Fishin’ Frenzy Lure ‘Em In Blueprint Gaming · 2026 · UK release |
10,000x max 10 lines |
Three coloured tackle boxes · lure upgrades · Reel ‘Em In respins | Play Now |
| Big Fin Bay Thunderkick · 6 reels · expanding ways |
96.14% RTP 15,040x max |
5,040 to 117,649 ways · expanding Wild reels · respins | Play Now |
| Fishin’ Bonanza 5×3 · 10 lines · collection slot |
Up to 20 Free Spins Cash collection |
Fish collection ladder · Free Spins · separate cash-prize collection | Play Now |
| The Angler Betsoft · 5 reels · 20 lines |
97.10% RTP Medium volatility |
Sticky Wild Free Spins · Time To Fish bonus · simpler US-offshore pick | Play Now |
| A Big Catch Hold & Win Betsoft · 5×3 · 243 ways |
96.50% RTP High volatility |
Reset collector · multiplier up to 5x · fixed jackpot tiers | Play Now |
Fishing now covers one of the broadest slot themes online. The fisherman collecting tagged fish is still the dominant format, but newer games increasingly layer that idea with Megaways, alternate bonus choices, tackle-box upgrades, Hold & Win boards, expanding reels and much higher payout ceilings.
Our Fishing Slot Picks Reviewed
Big Bass Bonanza
Big Bass Bonanza is the game that established the modern fishing-slot formula. The reels themselves are simple, but the Free Spins feature introduced the combination that now defines much of the genre: money fish carry cash values and the Fisherman Wild collects every visible fish when he lands.
Three, four or five Scatters award 10, 15 or 20 Free Spins. Every fourth Fisherman collected adds 10 spins and increases the multiplier, first to 2x, then 3x and finally 10x.
The original remains useful because almost every later Big Bass release can be understood by asking what it adds to this basic loop. Choose it if you want the franchise without extra meters, Megaways or secondary bonus games.
Fishin’ Frenzy
Fishin’ Frenzy is the other foundational fishing slot. Blueprint keeps the format extremely simple with 10 paylines, up to 20 Free Games and a Fisherman who collects the tagged values attached to every fish visible during the bonus.
The current Blueprint catalogue lists several RTP configurations, with the highest published version at 96.12%. A red or black card gamble also gives players the option to risk ordinary wins for a potential double.
Compared with Big Bass Bonanza, Fishin’ Frenzy places less emphasis on retrigger multipliers. Its appeal is the straightforward collect feature and the enormous franchise that has since been built around upgrading fish values and Fisherman behaviour.
Big Bass Splash 1000
Big Bass Splash 1000 takes one of the franchise’s most feature-heavy branches and raises its ceiling. Pragmatic Play released it in December 2025 with money symbols worth up to 1,000x and a stated maximum win of 25,000x.
The bonus begins with 10 to 20 Free Spins, but before the first spin a fishing animation can unlock as many as five modifiers. These include extra spins, additional cash symbols, special symbols and the ability to start the feature at a higher multiplier level.
Once play begins, the traditional Fisherman collection loop returns. Every fourth Fisherman adds 10 more spins and moves the multiplier through 2x, 3x and 10x. This is the higher-ceiling Big Bass pick for players who still want the familiar franchise structure.
Big Bass Bonanza 1000
Big Bass Bonanza 1000 is closer to the original. Pragmatic retains the basic 5×3 format but pushes Money Fish values as high as 1,000x and raises the advertised maximum win to 20,000x.
Two Scatters can also trigger a hook event that may reel in the third Scatter and activate Free Spins. Inside the feature, every fourth Fisherman still awards 10 extra spins and progresses the multiplier through 2x, 3x and 10x.
Choose this over Splash 1000 if you want the original Big Bass structure with bigger numbers rather than a pre-bonus modifier system.
Big Bass Bonanza or Fishin’ Frenzy: Which Fishing Slots Should I Play?
| Feature | Big Bass Series | Fishin’ Frenzy Series |
|---|---|---|
| Core collect mechanic | Fisherman collects Money Fish | Fisherman collects tagged fish values |
| Typical progression | Collect Fishermen to retrigger and raise multipliers | Collect Fishermen to upgrade fish and add spins |
| Modern variations | Hold & Spin, Megaways, alternate missions, pre-bonus modifiers | Golden Fishermen, tackle-box upgrades, cash pots and Power Play |
| Best fit | Multiplier and retrigger players | Fish-upgrade and collect-feature players |
Pick Big Bass if you enjoy watching the bonus multiplier climb. The recurring pattern across the series is to collect Fishermen, earn extra spins and move through increasingly powerful multiplier levels.
Pick Fishin’ Frenzy if upgrading the fish themselves sounds more interesting. Newer Big Catch games increasingly reward Fisherman collection by improving fish values, unlocking Golden Fishermen or activating extra feature upgrades.
The modern versions blur that distinction, but the underlying personalities remain visible. Big Bass usually develops the collector and multiplier, while Fishin’ Frenzy more often develops what is being collected.
Big Bass Mission Fishin’
Big Bass Mission Fishin’ is one of the best choices if the standard franchise loop has started to feel repetitive. Triggering the bonus lets the player choose between traditional Free Spins and a completely different Stack the Cash mode.
Free Spins use four progression levels, with Fishermen collecting Fish values that can reach 5,000x and multipliers rising as the feature advances. Before the bonus begins, a file-selection sequence can also add extra Fish, Fishermen, dynamite, hooks, bazookas or additional spins.
Stack the Cash replaces the normal reels with Fish Coins and robo-crabs. Coins lock in place, respins reset when another lands, and bombs can double every Fish Coin value on a chosen reel. This is one of the strongest Big Bass releases for genuine bonus choice.
Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways
Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways combines several mechanics that normally appear separately. Six variable reels can produce up to 147,456 ways, with winning symbols disappearing to create cascades and Mystery Symbols capable of revealing matching symbols.
The familiar Free Spins mechanic remains, but the retrigger structure becomes more aggressive. Every fourth Fisherman increases the multiplier, and later retriggers can continue rather than stopping after the traditional third level.
A separate Hold & Spin bonus locks cash Coins and awards three respins, resetting whenever another Coin lands. Choose this if you want Big Bass but do not want the entire game to revolve around the usual Free Spins collector.
Fishin’ Frenzy The Big Catch 3
The Big Catch 3 takes Blueprint’s original collector mechanic and turns it into a much denser upgrade system. Three or more Bonus symbols activate the feature, where a pick sequence can reveal Golden Fishermen, extra cash pots and other enhancements.
Every four Fishermen collected upgrade the smallest fish to the next value and add five Free Spins. Continue far enough and every Fish becomes worth 50x the bet.
The Golden Fisherman can collect a win multiple times, while Power Play removes most ordinary symbols so spins focus on Fish, Fisherman Collects and Bonus symbols. Blueprint lists a 10,000x maximum.
Fishin’ Frenzy Lure ‘Em In
Lure ‘Em In is one of the newest major fishing slots in this list, released by Blueprint in April 2026. The usual Fisherman collector remains, but coloured Lures now feed three matching tackle boxes above the reels.
The blue box activates Reel ‘Em In, where each Fisherman awards a respin. The red box increases minimum Fish values, while the green box adds extra Fish, worms and Fishermen. The more charge a box receives, the stronger its upgrade can become.
Free Spins still reward Fisherman collection by upgrading fish and adding spins, but the tackle boxes give this version a much clearer pre-feature progression system than the original Fishin’ Frenzy.
Do New Fishing Slots Pay Bigger Maximum Wins?
| Game | Generation | Stated Max Win |
|---|---|---|
| Big Bass Bonanza | Original modern Big Bass | Lower than current 1000-series titles |
| Big Fin Bay | 2020s non-franchise | 15,040x |
| Big Bass Bonanza 1000 | 2025 | 20,000x |
| Big Bass Splash 1000 | 2025 | 25,000x |
| Fishin’ Frenzy The Big Catch 3 | 2025 | 10,000x |
Within the Big Bass series, yes. Across fishing slots as a whole, no. Pragmatic’s newer 1000-series releases clearly raise the franchise ceiling, with Big Bass Bonanza 1000 reaching 20,000x and Big Bass Splash 1000 reaching 25,000x.
But newer does not automatically mean larger. Fishin’ Frenzy The Big Catch 3 is a 2025 release with a 10,000x maximum, below Big Fin Bay’s 15,040x despite Thunderkick’s game coming from an earlier generation.
The more useful conclusion is that modern fishing games tend to add more routes to a large win, not simply a larger number at the top of the paytable. New releases increasingly combine cash collection with modifiers, upgrade systems, alternate bonuses and feature progression.
Big Fin Bay
Big Fin Bay is the strongest non-franchise alternative in this list. Thunderkick starts with 5,040 ways to win across six reels, then lets the bonus expand those reels until the grid can reach 117,649 ways.
Wilds that land during the feature can expand to fill an entire reel and award a respin. Each expanded Wild also increases that reel’s height, so successful sequences physically increase the number of possible winning combinations.
Thunderkick publishes 96.14% RTP, high volatility and a 15,040x maximum. Choose Big Fin Bay if you want fishing mechanics built around reel expansion rather than tagged-fish collection.
Fishin’ Bonanza
Fishin’ Bonanza stays closer to the traditional 10-line fishing formula but changes how progression works. The Free Spins feature uses fish collection to work through a sequence of sea creatures and unlock additional rewards.
A separate cash-symbol mechanic allows a Fisherman Wild to collect cash prizes visible on the reels. That gives the game two related collection systems instead of relying exclusively on one Money Fish loop.
It sits comfortably between the simplicity of Fishin’ Frenzy and the much denser modern upgrade systems found in The Big Catch 3 or Lure ‘Em In.
The Angler
The Angler takes the fishing theme in a more traditional bonus direction. Betsoft’s 5-reel, 20-line game publishes a 97.10% RTP, medium volatility and a 21.15% hit rate.
Three Pearl symbols on reels three to five trigger Oyster Free Spins. Any Wild that lands during the feature becomes sticky and remains for the rest of the round, allowing Wild coverage to accumulate rather than resetting after every spin.
A separate Time To Fish bonus asks the player to help Otis catch fish for prizes. This is a useful alternative if you want a fishing slot without Money Fish collectors, Megaways or multi-stage multiplier ladders.
A Big Catch Hold & Win
A Big Catch Hold & Win is Betsoft’s 2024 sequel to The Angler and shifts the series into a much more modern format. The 5×3 game uses 243 ways to win and Betsoft lists 96.50% RTP, high volatility and a 35.11% hit rate.
Six Bonus symbols start Hold & Win with three respins. Bonus values lock into place, while Reset symbols collect all currently locked values and increase a multiplier that can reach 5x.
Mini, Minor and Major prizes can appear inside the feature, while filling all 15 positions with the required symbols awards the Grand. It is the stronger Betsoft choice if you prefer lock-and-respin mechanics over The Angler’s sticky Wild Free Spins.
Which Fishing Slots Do More Than Just Collect Money Fish?
| Game | Alternative Mechanic | Why It Feels Different |
|---|---|---|
| Big Bass Mission Fishin’ | Stack the Cash | Robo-crabs, locked Fish Coins and bomb multipliers replace the usual Free Spins loop |
| Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways | Megaways + Hold & Spin | Variable reels, cascades and locked cash Coins create a second game structure |
| Big Fin Bay | Expanding Wild reels | The bonus increases reel heights and expands from 5,040 to 117,649 ways |
| The Angler | Sticky Wild Free Spins | Wilds remain fixed instead of fishermen collecting tagged fish values |
| A Big Catch Hold & Win | Reset-driven Hold & Win | Reset symbols collect locked values and increase a multiplier up to 5x |
Big Bass Mission Fishin’ is the clearest break from the standard formula. Stack the Cash removes the fisherman-collects-fish Free Spins structure completely and replaces it with a persistent respin grid, robo-crabs and reel-specific bomb multipliers.
Big Fin Bay is even further removed from the usual Money Fish design. Its main progression comes from expanding Wild reels and an increasing number of ways to win.
The Angler is the simplest alternative, using sticky Wild Free Spins, while A Big Catch Hold & Win offers a modern lock-and-respin format without copying the Big Bass collector loop.
Which Fishing Slots Should You Choose?
Best Fishing Slot Overall
Big Bass Splash 1000 is our current overall pick because it combines the familiar Big Bass collector mechanic with pre-bonus modifiers, Money Fish values up to 1,000x and 25,000x maximum winning potential.
Best Classic Fishing Slot
Fishin’ Frenzy remains one of the simplest and most recognisable fishing slots, with 10 paylines and a straightforward Fisherman collection bonus.
Best Big Bass Slot
Big Bass Splash 1000 is the higher-ceiling modern pick. Big Bass Bonanza remains better if you want the original formula without additional modifiers.
Best Fishin’ Frenzy Slot
Fishin’ Frenzy The Big Catch 3 adds Golden Fishermen, fish upgrades and additional cash pots while retaining the franchise’s core collector mechanic.
Best Fishing Slot for Player Choice
Big Bass Mission Fishin’ lets you choose between traditional Free Spins and the separate Stack the Cash respin feature.
Best Fishing Megaways Slot
Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways reaches 147,456 ways and adds cascades plus a separate Hold & Spin bonus.
Best Fishing Slot for Expanding Reels
Big Fin Bay grows from 5,040 ways to as many as 117,649 as Wilds expand the reels during the bonus.
Best Fishing Hold & Win Slot
A Big Catch Hold & Win uses Reset symbols that collect locked values and increase the multiplier up to 5x.
Best Fishing Slot for Sticky Wilds
The Angler keeps Wilds locked in position throughout Oyster Free Spins.
Best Fishing Slot for a High RTP
The Angler is published by Betsoft at 97.10% RTP, while Big Fin Bay is listed at 96.14%. RTP configurations can vary by game and market, so check the version actually offered before playing.
Best New Fishing Slot
Fishin’ Frenzy Lure ‘Em In is the newest title in this shortlist, released in April 2026 with three coloured tackle-box upgrade paths.
Best Fishing Slot If You Are Bored of Money Fish
Big Fin Bay is the strongest structural alternative because its main feature revolves around expanding Wild reels rather than a fisherman collecting tagged Fish values.
Fishing Slots – Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best fishing slot?
Big Bass Splash 1000 is our current overall choice because it combines one of the genre’s most recognisable collector bonuses with up to five pre-feature modifiers and a stated 25,000x maximum.
Is Big Bass Bonanza better than Fishin’ Frenzy?
Big Bass Bonanza is better if you prefer retriggers and increasing multipliers. Fishin’ Frenzy is the cleaner choice if you want a simpler fisherman-collects-fish feature, while newer Big Catch games focus more heavily on upgrading fish values.
Which fishing slot has the biggest max win?
Among the primary-source maximums used in this shortlist, Big Bass Splash 1000 reaches 25,000x, followed by Big Bass Bonanza 1000 at 20,000x and Big Fin Bay at 15,040x.
Which fishing slot has Megaways?
Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways uses six variable reels with up to 147,456 ways to win, plus cascades and a Hold & Spin bonus.
Which fishing slot lets me choose the bonus?
Big Bass Mission Fishin’ lets players choose between progressive Free Spins and Stack the Cash, a separate respin feature using Fish Coins, robo-crabs and bomb multipliers.
Which fishing slot has sticky Wilds?
The Angler uses sticky Wilds during Oyster Free Spins. Any Wild landing during the feature stays in its position for the remainder of the bonus.
Which fishing slot has Hold & Win?
A Big Catch Hold & Win uses three respins, locked Bonus values and Reset symbols that collect the board while increasing a multiplier up to 5x.
Which fishing slot has expanding reels?
Big Fin Bay expands individual reels whenever certain Wilds activate during the bonus, increasing the possible ways to win from 5,040 to as many as 117,649.
What is the newest fishing slot in this list?
Fishin’ Frenzy Lure ‘Em In was released by Blueprint Gaming in April 2026 and adds three tackle-box upgrade paths to the standard Fisherman collector formula.
Are newer fishing slots better than older ones?
Not automatically. Newer games generally offer more bonus layers and higher advertised ceilings, but classics such as Big Bass Bonanza and Fishin’ Frenzy remain easier to understand and may suit players who do not want multiple meters or modifiers.
Do all fishing slots use the same fisherman collect feature?
No. Big Fin Bay uses expanding Wild reels, The Angler uses sticky Wilds, A Big Catch uses Hold & Win, and Big Bass Mission Fishin’ includes an alternative Stack the Cash respin game.
Gavin has spent over a decade writing about online casinos across every major operator and market. He has hundreds of published articles about online casinos, games like slots, blackjack, and roulette, and has played at top sites across the world.