Fishin' Frenzy The Big Catch Review & Demo

Reviewed game

Fishin' Frenzy (Blueprint Gaming)

18+ | T&C apply | Play responsibly

Fishin' Frenzy The Big Catch reworks the free-spins round: collect four Fisherman Wilds and the lowest fish symbol upgrades to a higher value, with extra spins on top. RTP sits at 95.32% and the max win is 5,000x. Here is the full breakdown and demo.

A 2021 sequel built around collecting four wilds

The Big Catch is a fishing-themed video slot released in June 2021, and it keeps the familiar 5-reel, 3-row grid with 10 fixed paylines. The default RTP is 95.32%, which sits below the original's 96.12% headline, so it's worth checking the paytable before you commit real money. The max win is capped at 5,000x your stake, and volatility runs medium. The signature twist is a collect-and-upgrade mechanic: land four Fisherman Wilds inside the free spins and the lowest-value fish gets promoted a tier, while you're handed extra spins to keep the round going.

That single rule is what separates this game from the base slot. You're not just waiting for one wild to sweep the reels. You're stacking wilds toward a threshold that changes the paytable mid-feature.

It's a modest sequel in headline terms. However, the upgrade loop gives the free spins a sense of progression that the original doesn't have, and that's the reason players keep coming back to it.

The Big Catch at a glance

Studio	Reel Time Gaming, online release by Blueprint Gaming
Release	June 2021
Layout	5 reels, 3 rows, 10 fixed paylines
RTP	95.32% default (operators can run lower official builds)
Volatility	Medium
Max win	5,000x stake
Min stake	£0.10 (max stake varies by operator)
Free spins	3 / 4 / 5 boat scatters award 10 / 15 / 20 spins
Signature feature	Collect 4 Fisherman Wilds to upgrade the lowest fish and win extra spins
Extras	Autoplay yes; no bonus buy in the base game

How the wild-collect upgrade actually plays

The feature you're chasing is the free-spins round. Three, four or five boat scatters on the same spin hand you 10, 15 or 20 spins, and there's no retrigger, so the count you land with is the count you get. During those spins a Fisherman Wild lands and collects the cash value of every fish on screen, paying the combined total. That part is inherited straight from the original.

The Big Catch adds a counter on top. Each Fisherman Wild you collect ticks toward four. Hit that fourth wild and two things happen at once.

What triggers when you reach four wilds

The lowest cash-value fish is upgraded a tier, so its value climbs for the rest of the round.
You're awarded extra spins, extending the feature and giving the upgraded fish more chances to be collected.
Keep collecting and the counter can cycle again, lifting the next-lowest fish and stacking further spins.

The effect compounds. A long free-spins run with several upgrades reshapes the paytable in your favour, which is where the 5,000x ceiling becomes reachable rather than theoretical.

Fisherman Wild collecting cash-value fish during a Fishin' Frenzy The Big Catch free-spins round — The Fisherman Wild sweeps the reels; four of them upgrade the lowest fish.

The wider Big Catch family

The Big Catch grew into its own mini-series inside the franchise. If you like the collect-and-upgrade idea, there are a few relatives worth knowing about before you pick where to play.

The Big Catch (2021)

The original line game covered here. 5x3, 10 lines, RTP 95.32%, capped at 5,000x. Medium volatility with the four-wild upgrade loop.

Big Catch Megaways

The big-ways spin-off. Six reels and up to 15,625 ways to win, with a higher 10,000x ceiling. It trades fixed lines for the Megaways engine, so wins are less frequent but can run larger. If that appeals, the standalone Fishin' Frenzy Megaways page covers the ways format in full.

Big Catch 2 and 3 (2025)

Two newer line-game follow-ups that keep the 5x3 frame and iterate on the upgrade idea. They're recent additions, and like many franchise sequels they lean on reskinned mechanics rather than a brand-new feature set. Treat them as familiar rather than fresh.

Playing on desktop, mobile and in demo

The Big Catch is built in HTML5, so it runs in a browser without a download and scales to whatever screen you're on. The upgrade counter and the collect animation read cleanly on a phone, which matters because the free spins are where you'll spend most of your attention.

Desktop

Full-size reels with the wild counter easy to track. Autoplay is available if you'd rather let a batch of spins run while you watch for the fourth wild.

Mobile

Portrait and landscape both work. Touch controls sit under the reels, and the upgrade prompts stay legible on smaller displays without cramming the layout.

Free demo

The same build is available to play with virtual credits. It's the best way to learn how many wilds a typical round collects before you decide on a stake.

Pros, cons and who it suits

The Big Catch earns its place by giving the free spins a goal. The four-wild upgrade turns a passive collect round into something you're actively building toward, and the extra spins that come with each upgrade keep good runs alive longer than the base game manages.

The downsides are honest ones. The 95.32% default RTP is a touch stingy next to the original 96.12%, and operators can run even lower official builds, so you'll want to read the paytable. The 5,000x cap is modest for a medium-volatility slot, and it doesn't reach the 10,000x that the Megaways relatives offer. Base pays stay tiny between features, as they do across the whole series.

It suits players who liked the original's collect mechanic but wanted a reason to keep the feature going. If you're chasing the biggest possible number, you're better served elsewhere in the range. That said, the upgrade loop is genuinely fun, and it's an easy game to recommend for a relaxed session.

Where it sits against the original and Even Bigger Catch

Against the base Fishin' Frenzy, The Big Catch is the same shape with a smarter feature and a slightly lower headline RTP. The original pays 96.12% by default and relies on a single wild sweeping the reels. This sequel keeps that sweep but layers the four-wild upgrade on top, so the free spins have more shape. If you want the leaner, higher-RTP classic, that's the one to start with.

Against Even Bigger Catch, the difference is the multiplier. Even Bigger Catch swaps the tier-upgrade idea for golden Fisherman Wilds that carry multipliers up to 10x, runs a slightly lower 95% RTP, and feels a notch more volatile. The Big Catch grows your fish values; Even Bigger Catch multiplies your collects. Both cap where line games in this family tend to, so neither is a jackpot chase.

For the full lineup, from the 20,000x outliers to the progressive Jackpot King editions, the variants comparison lays every game side by side. If you'd rather try before you stake anything, the free demo runs the same maths with virtual credits. Blueprint's own Blueprint Gaming catalogue lists the current releases, and the studio is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission.

The Big Catch questions answered

What's the max win on Fishin' Frenzy The Big Catch?

The base game caps at 5,000x your stake. The Big Catch Megaways spin-off raises that to 10,000x, but the line game you're reading about here tops out at 5,000x.

What is the RTP?

The default return to player is 95.32%. Operators can run lower official builds, so check the paytable in the game to confirm which version you're on before you play for real money.

How does the wild-collect upgrade work?

During free spins each Fisherman Wild you collect counts toward four. Reach four and the lowest cash-value fish is upgraded a tier while you're awarded extra spins, extending the round.

How do you trigger the free spins?

Land 3, 4 or 5 boat scatters on the same spin to win 10, 15 or 20 free spins. There's no retrigger, so the number you start with is the number you get.

Is The Big Catch better than the original Fishin' Frenzy?

It depends on what you want. The upgrade loop makes the free spins more engaging, but the original's 96.12% default RTP is higher. If you value return over feature depth, the classic is the leaner pick.

Can you play it for free first?

Yes. The free demo runs the same mechanics with virtual credits and no download, so you can test the upgrade feature before staking anything.

Fishin' Frenzy The Big Catch: Wild-Collect Upgrades