Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways Slot Review
A frog perches on the grassy bank of a lake you see from both sides at once, half sunlit water and half murky lakebed with bubbles rising through the weed. Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways is Pragmatic Play‘s most mechanically loaded Big Bass yet, and it’s a better game for it: where earlier entries coasted on a single collect feature, this one resolves every spin through tumbles, random row locks and money symbols, so nothing you’re dealt is ever just one spin.
It runs on a 6×6 Megaways grid with up to 147,456 ways to win, at 96.70% RTP and high volatility, with a 20,000x win cap and bets from 0.20 to 240 per spin. Tumbles, a hold-and-collect round and a free spins builder with an uncapped multiplier make it a heavier machine than Big Bass Bonanza or Big Bass Splash ever were.
How the Base Game Pays
Reels one and six hold up to six symbols, while reels two to five carry three extra rows above the main grid. Those top rows spin independently from right to left, and each spin locks or unlocks them at random. Only unlocked rows count towards wins, which is how the ways count swings so sharply from spin to spin. The topmost row is wilds and blanks only.
The wild substitutes for everything except the scatter, fisherman and coin symbols, and it only ever appears on that topmost row. Wins pay left to right on adjacent reels, and only the highest combination per way counts.
All pays are multiples of the total bet:
- Float/Bobber – 1x for two, 2x for three, 10x for four, 25x for five, 50x for six
- Fishing Rod – 1x for three, 2x for four, 2.5x for five, 5x for six
- Dragonfly – 0.3x for three, 0.5x for four, 1x for five, 2.5x for six
- Tackle Box – 0.3x for three, 0.5x for four, 0.8x for five, 2x for six
- Small green Fish, A, K – 0.2x for three, 0.4x for four, 0.6x for five, 1.5x for six
- Q, J, 10 – 0.1x for three, 0.2x for four, 0.4x for five, 1x for six
Tumble Feature
Every winning combination is paid, then the winning symbols disappear. Whatever is left falls to the bottom and new symbols drop in from above, matching the symbol sizes of the original spin. Tumbling continues until no new win forms, and the whole chain is added to the balance once it finishes.
Mystery and Fish Money Symbols
Mystery symbols can land at random in the base game or the bonus, and in the base game every instance transforms into the same paying symbol. Fish Money symbols can only be collected during free spins, and each takes a random value from this set:
- 2x, 5x, 10x, 15x, 20x, 25x, 50x or 5,000x the total bet
In the base game they explode and tumble like anything else. In free spins they sink to the bottom and wait to be collected.
Free Spins
Three or more scatters anywhere on the screen starts the round. The scatter appears on all reels, and the count sets the spin count:
- 3 scatters – 10 free spins
- 4 scatters – 15 free spins
- 5 scatters – 20 free spins
- 6 scatters – 25 free spins
Fisherman symbols land on every reel except the topmost row, and each one collects the value of every Fish Money symbol on screen. Every fisherman that lands is counted until the round ends. Every fourth one retriggers the feature with 10 more spins and raises the collection multiplier.
The multiplier ladder climbs x2 on the first retrigger, x3 on the second, x10 on the third, then another x10 for every retrigger after that, with no limit. Retriggered spins play after the current batch finishes, and the new multiplier applies to them.
When a spin ends with fishermen on screen but no fish, a dynamite animation can drop Fish Money symbols into random positions. Mystery symbols can also appear at that moment, transforming into any random symbol. Special reels are in play throughout.
Hold & Spin
Three or more coin symbols anywhere on the screen triggers the Hold & Spin round. The triggering coins lock in place, everything else fades away, and the grid keeps the size of the triggering spin. Coin Money symbols appear on all reels except the topmost row, and each takes a random value:
- 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, 7x, 8x, 9x, 10x, 11x, 12x, 14x, 16x, 18x, 20x, 22x, 25x or 30x the total bet
A Diamond Money symbol can also land, carrying one of these:
- 50x, 100x, 200x, 300x, 500x, 1,000x or 2,000x the total bet
You start with three respins. Every coin that lands resets the count to three and adds its value to the round total. A minimum 20x win is guaranteed: if the respins run out before that figure is reached, three more are awarded. The round ends when the respins are gone, and the collected total is paid.
Bonus Buy
Both features can be bought from the base game:
- Buy Free Spins – 100x the total bet; the triggering spin lands three, four, five or six scatters at random
- Buy Hold & Spin – 120x the total bet; the triggering spin starts with three to six coin symbols carrying random values
Both buys run at the same 96.70% RTP as the base game, so neither carries a penalty for skipping the wait. The scatter roll on a bought free spins round is genuine, too: a six-scatter buy for 25 spins is possible, which matters when the scatter count sets the starting position. A round that reaches 20,000x the bet ends immediately, with the cap awarded and any remaining features forfeited.
Our Honest Verdict
Overall Rating: 9/10
Playing it is like fishing the deep half of that lake: quiet on the surface, everything happening underneath. The reason to choose it over a plainer Big Bass game is that the base game is never idle. Tumbles, row locks and money symbols mean every spin resolves into something, so the wait between features isn’t dead water.
Its best asset is the free spins ladder. Because the collection multiplier climbs without a ceiling, a long round keeps getting better instead of stalling at a fixed figure, which is exactly where most of this series runs out of ideas. The weakness is the look: the cartoon lake was ordinary to begin with and hasn’t aged well next to newer fishing titles.
For anyone who wants a Big Bass game with more than one gear, this is the pick of the school. Anyone after a simple five-of-a-kind spinner will find it busy. The water here is deep, though, and it rewards those willing to let a round build.
Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways FAQs
-
What is the RTP of Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways?
The RTP is 96.70%, and both bonus buys run at the same figure as the base game. -
Is Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways high volatility?
Yes, it’s a high volatility game, so payouts come less often on average but with a higher chance of big wins in a short span. -
How many ways to win does Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways have?
Up to 147,456 ways to win, on a 6×6 grid with three extra rows above reels two to five that lock or unlock at random each spin. -
What are the minimum and maximum bets?
Bets run from 0.20 to 240 per spin. -
Can you buy the bonus on Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways?
Yes. Free Spins cost 100x the total bet and Hold & Spin costs 120x, and both run at the same 96.70% RTP as the base game. -
How does the free spins retrigger work?
Every fourth fisherman symbol collected awards 10 more free spins and raises the collection multiplier: x2 on the first retrigger, x3 on the second, x10 on the third, then another x10 for each one after that, with no limit. -
How do you trigger the Hold & Spin feature?
Three or more coin symbols anywhere on the screen starts it. You get three respins, every new coin resets the count to three, and a minimum 20x total bet win is guaranteed. -
What is the maximum win on Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways?
The maximum win is 20,000x the bet. A round that reaches it ends immediately, the win is paid and any remaining features are forfeited.
