Big Bass Secrets of the Golden Lake

Whether you’re a devoted follower of the ‘Big Bass’ series or simply enjoy fishing-themed games, this title is designed with you in mind, bringing together the strongest elements of the hugely popular Big Bass Bonanza lineup. This slot features Cash-Collecting mechanics, up to 30 additional Free Spins, a Prize Multiplier reaching x10, and a range of features intended to improve your odds of triggering the Bonus Game and boost its overall value. Eager to learn how it works? Keep reading our review for the rules and a full breakdown of the results from a 300-spin real-money session.

General Characteristics

• 10 paylines;
• 5 reels and 3 rows;
• Extremely High Volatility;
• RTP: 96.07%, 95.07%, 94.07%;
• Base Game hit frequency: 1 in 7 spins (14.29%);
• Free Spins hit frequency: 1 in 113 spins (0.88%);
• Odds for > x1,000 hit frequency: 1 in 6,245 spins;
• Max Win hit frequency: 1 in 3,378,378 spins;
• Bet amount: 0.1 EUR - 250 EUR;
• Maximum win multiplier: x5,000;
• Maximum win value: 1,250,000 EUR;
• 10 main symbols;
• Additional symbols: Fisherman Wild, Scatter, Money Symbol.

There are only a few bonus features in this game, and the main one is the Free Spin Round. Because of that, the rules are quick to explain.

Money Symbols

These symbols appear in both the Base Game and the Bonus Game. In the Base mode, Money Symbols contribute to winning combinations, paying up to x20 the stake for five matching symbols on the payline. During Free Spins, they also award Instant Cash Prizes thanks to the cash values attached to them.

Scatter

You need at least 3 Scatters landing at the same time to trigger Free Spins:

However, if only 2 Scatters land instead of 3 or more, there is still a chance to activate the FS Round through these two options:

• An additional Scatter is added randomly to a random position.
• Re-spins begin and continue until one of those two Scatters reaches the last, third row.

Of course, if any of the Scatters that landed initially is already on the third row, respins will not be triggered. Also, keep in mind that the maximum number of eligible re-spins is 2.

Free Spins 

Before you begin Free Spins, you need to choose the type of Bonus Game, as there are two of them. To do this, pick one of the 12 face-down cards. Most of them contain the Regular Free Spins option, while only two hide the Golden Lake version of the Bonus Game.

Regular Free Spins

The key difference between Regular Free Spins and the Base Game is that cash prizes attached to Money Symbols are collected with the help of the Fisherman Wild. In addition, you can win 30 extra FS for collecting 12 Fisherman Wilds: every time 4 special symbols are gathered, the player receives 10 FS. On top of that, each time extra FS are awarded, the Win Multiplier increases in this order — x3, x5, and finally x10. The Multiplier applies only to wins gathered from Money Symbols through the Cash-Collecting mechanic.

Golden Lake Free Spins

The main difference between the Golden Lake FS Round and the standard FS mode is that no other paying symbols appear, apart from the Money symbols. As a result, empty spaces can appear on the reels. Another important point is that the cash prizes carried by Money Symbols are much larger than in the regular Free Spins. Aside from that, the Golden Lake FS round works the same way, offering 30 extra FS and Prize Multipliers of up to x10.

Money Symbols

These symbols come with cash prizes ranging from x2 to x5,000 the bet. Because of this, during Free Spins they can pay both through winning lines and via the Cash-Collecting mechanic, which is activated when the Fisherman Wild appears.

Fisherman Wild

This symbol can land on any reel, but only during Free Spins. It does not pay on its own, yet it substitutes for paying symbols, except for Money Symbols and Scatter. Each Fisherman Wild collects cash amounts from Money Symbols separately. So if several Wilds are visible, they can deliver multiple wins gathered from the same Money Symbols.

Random features

Three features may trigger at random in the Bonus FS Game of either type:

• If one or more Fisherman Wilds are present but there are no Money Symbols, those symbols can suddenly appear in random positions.
• If Money Symbols are on the reels but no Fisherman Wild is present, the latter may land on a random reel thanks to the ‘Hook’ feature.
• If Fisherman Wilds are on screen but no Money Symbols are present, there is a chance that all symbols on the grid except the Fisherman Wilds will be replaced with other pictures, making it possible to land the missing Money Symbols.

All of these features help increase your potential winnings during Free Spins.

Ante Bet

This option adds x0.5 to the stake on top of the current bet and increases the chances of triggering the Bonus Game. However, when this feature is enabled, Free Spins cannot be bought.

Buy Free Spins

You can also activate Buy Free Spins. Two options are available:

• x100 the bet — instantly starts the Bonus Game, letting you choose either the regular FS mode or the Golden Lake version using 12 face-down cards.
• x270 the stake — guarantees that the Golden Lake FS Round will begin.

To deliver a review packed with as much detail as possible, we decided to test this video slot with real money using a €200 deposit. Our bet size was €1 per spin. In total, we completed 300 spins and managed to finish with €221.5 more than we started with. Let’s take a closer look at how such an impressive outcome was achieved.

Over the first 100 spins, we recorded only 14 wins, and the longest stretch without a payout reached 37 spins. Fortunately, only four wins were below the stake, while the largest one was €3. However, since no Free Spins round was triggered, by spin 100 our balance had dropped to €119.1.

During the second set of 100 spins, the Bonus Game finally appeared and rewarded us with 10 regular Free Spins through the card-guessing mini-game. These spins did not bring much, only €33.9, as there was no retriggering of FS. Base Game wins also fell to just 7 prizes ranging from €0.2 to €19, and 2 of them were below the bet. Sadly, the longest winless streak of the session occurred here too, lasting 41 spins. As a result, after spin 200, our balance stood at only €93.4.

The final 100 spins gave us a chance to enjoy Golden Lake Free Spins. Thanks to one retrigger, we ended up with 20 Free Spins in total. This made it possible to win exactly €350. In addition, we landed two fairly large regular wins of €17 and €25. This time, the Base Game produced 16 wins overall. So, after the 300th spin, our balance reached €421.5, leaving us with a total profit of €221.5.

Here are the detailed statistics:

In closing, it’s worth noting that this high-volatility game can sometimes leave you without a win for dozens of spins in a row. Our longest dry spell in the Base Game, for example, lasted 41 spins. On the other hand, there are not many wins here that fall below the stake. Even so, the Base Game is unlikely to generate significant returns, so the only real chance to land a big payout is by waiting for the Free Spins round. The most rewarding option appears to be Golden Lake FS mode, and the chance of landing it is exactly 16.7% (2 out of 12 cards), which is not too low.

Fortunately, randomly added extra Scatters and guaranteed respins, when you receive only 2 Scatters instead of the required three, also help bring you closer to the start of the Bonus Game. Even though it triggers relatively rarely — we got only 2 FS rounds in 300 spins, for example — the Free Spins here are worth the wait, thanks to 30 extra FS and a prize multiplier of up to x10.

So, in our view, this video slot can deliver entertaining and rewarding gameplay, but mainly because of the Bonus FS Game, which is generous with both extra FS and Prize Multipliers. In addition, beyond the two features that improve your chances of triggering Free Spins, three more are meant to boost your Bonus Game earnings. Because of all this, the game appears promising and, as our small test showed, it is yet another “Big Bass” video slot from Pragmatic Play that, like its predecessors, has huge potential for exciting wins. 

Still, it is not without its weaknesses. For example, this slot, like many others, comes with a configurable RTP that ranges from 96.07% to 94.07%. Even though the lowest figure, 94.07%, does not seem especially poor, it is still wise to choose the version with the best Return to Player rate to help ensure a more enjoyable gambling experience. Also, as you have probably already noticed, the Base Game does not often produce many large wins, or even regular prizes. That makes the standard mode less engaging. In addition, the Free Spins trigger rate is not particularly high either. And finally, the top possible win is only x5,000 your stake, which is nowhere near the best payouts offered by many popular video slots today.

Big Bass fans looking for larger win potential should take a look at Big Bass Day at the Races, which features a higher maximum win multiplier of 10,000x—twice that of Secrets of the Golden Lake—along with a cash prize multiplier of up to 50x and the opportunity to trigger up to 76 extra free spins through a modifier system and collection mechanic. This slot keeps the series’ signature collectible elements while introducing more random triggers in the base game for steadier action, making it a smart pick for players who appreciate volatility and longer bonus rounds with strong winning potential.