Epic Fish: Winter Catch Slot Review
The countdown to Christmas can feel never-ending, so why not take your mind off it with a spot of fishing? Join a daring explorer, Howard Spinsson, as he takes us out onto the frozen water of his hometown, in the small village of Gullfjord, Norway.
Gullfjord is a magical place where myths drift in on the wind, and the icy sea guards its secrets well. Its most prized possession? The fabled Golden Pollock…a fish whispered from the lips of every sailor & fisherman brave enough to take on these sub-sero conditions.
As we travel across the uncharted territory of the Northern tides, proving the existence of the Golden Pollack rests in the hands of Howard Spinsson, but after many years of chasing glory & sailing into danger, he’s yet to catch a glimpse.
As the colder months have begun to creep in, our rod and tackle box has been left redundant for quite some time now, so a fishing trip is most definitely on the cards. Only, the invitation doesn’t come from Reel Kingdom, but rather Quickspin as part of their ongoing Epic Fish series.
Epic Fish: Winter Catch from Quickspin is the 4th instalment in their ‘Epic Fish’ franchise, which combines our love of fishing with the upcoming Christmas festivities. With Halloween well & truly out of the way, software developers are turning their attention to the most celebrated festive holiday of the year, and we’re all for it.
Although predominantly a Fishing game, there are subtle indications that Epic Fish: Winter Catch is also a Christmas-themed slot, evident through its colourful aesthetics & feel-good soundscapes, among other suggestive content.
In Epic Fish Adventure, we found ourselves sipping cocktails & catching rays whilst fishing in the blissful Caribbean. Without even realising it, Quickspin soon had us travelling to multiple corners of the globe as the series progressed, searching for that legendary fish that, ironically, no one has seen.
With a fixed RTP of 96.07% and a high (4.5/5) volatility score, Epic Fish: Winter Catch can produce substantial wins . This game marks the first Christmas slot of 2025, but does it have that ‘Christmas spirit‘ everyone’s going on about? Let’s find out…
Base Game & Features
Epic Fish: Winter Catch is a highly volatile 5-reel, 3-row video slot with 10 fixed pay lines. Winning combinations occur when 3, 4, or 5 identical symbols fall upon reels 1-5, so long as they connect to active pay lines.
The highest-paying symbol falls to the Clam Shell, followed by the Starfish, Message in a Bottle, Sailor’s Hat, Fish, and A, K, Q, J, & 10 card ranks. After the reels settle, all winning combinations in view will award a fixed payout between 0.1x and 75x your bet.
In addition, Wild (Fisherman) symbols appear on all reels throughout spins, substituting for all symbols except Scatters. Fisherman Wilds also act as a Collect symbol, gathering all Cash Prizes from fish symbols when they appear in the same spin.
Fish Collection
During gameplay, special Fish symbols can appear on the reels, revealing a random Cash Prize between 1x and 25x your bet.
The Fish Collection feature triggers when at least 1 Fish symbol lands in the same spin as a Fisherman Wild. Once active, the Fisherman Wild will gather all Cash Prizes from visible Fish symbols & apply their values to your total win for that spin.
Epic Fish: Winter Catch Free Spins
Landing 3, 4, or 5 Scatters anywhere on the reels triggers Winter Spins, Tight Lines, & Golden Pollock Free Spins, respectively. Once either Free Spins session is active, 12 Free Spins are awarded, and the Fish Collection Feature remains persistent.
- Winter Spins: In this mode, +1 Free Spin is awarded for every 4 Fisherman Wilds collected.
- Tight Lines: This feature awards +2 Free Spins for every 4 Fisherman Wilds collected. Each visible Fisherman Wild is guaranteed to trigger the Sticky Wilds Feature, causing them to stick for a single Respin.
- Golden Pollock: This mode triggers +3 Free Spins for every 4 Fisherman Wilds collected. The Sticky Wilds Feature is activated when Fisherman Wilds hit, causing them to stick on the reels.
Golden Fish Symbol
During the Golden Pollock Bonus, a special Golden Fish symbol can appear on the reels, awarding a starting Cash Prize of 50x your bet. Each time it lands, regardless of whether there’s a Fisherman Wild in view or not, it will increment its current value between 75x and 5,000x your bet.
Extra Bet & Bonus Buy
Players may purchase any of the following Extra Bet & Bonus Buy options:
- Extra Bet: Increases your chance of triggering a Free Spins mode by 189% for 2x your bet per spin (96.53%)
- Winter Spins: Direct access to the Winter Spins Bonus for an additional 40x your bet (96.57%)
- Tight Lines: Instant entry into the Tight Lines Bonus with 4 Scatters for 95x your bet (96.57%)
- Golden Pollock: Guarantees to trigger the Golden Pollock Bonus with 5 Scatters for 250x your bet (96.45%)
Epic Fish: Winter Catch offers substantial maximum win potential. If a single session exceeds this, the current mode ends, and the player returns to the base game with the qualifying amount.
Our Honest Verdict
We don’t know about you, but the only thing we’re catching in this weather is a cold, but hats off to those who continue to fish in freezing temperatures.
Epic Fish Winter Catch is nothing new from Quickspin; they’re a studio that has been quiet compared to others. Their core catalogue like Big Bad Wolf and Sticky Bandits, Spinions and Sakura Fortune are far more memorable offerings. Some might argue that Quickspin has lost their touch, but we believe that they can ascend once again.
Is Epic Fish: Winter Catch the game to do it? Not really, Quickspin’s best is still a ways to go yet. This one is a fairly generic game, a familiar slot with a wintery theme. Nobody can blame them for trying to capitalise on the holidays; many do, after all.
This particular one isn’t a bad game. It hasn’t got the repute that Big Bass Bonanza has, but is that deserved? That’s another discussion. Epic Fish Winter Catch is alright, if you’re into fishing games, but it doesn’t seek to reinvent it in any meaningful way.
If you’re after innovation, you won’t find it here. If you want something familiar, safe and a little festive, then it’s certainly worth a try, but won’t be memorable
*The images found in this slot review are currently from Demo Play. On average, our reviews are written prior to the initial release date and before real play is available.
