So, my therapist thinks I’m “overreacting” to the number of Big Bass slots there are in the casinos online. It’s definitely affecting my mental health and perception of the world. The sixteenth Big Bass game released by Pragmatic Play software is called Big Bass Secrets of the Golden Lake. I don’t expect the therapist to perform mackerels, but he’s a highly reputable fish-ition.

I’m now counting fish in my sleep. When I look in the mirror, I see a fish head staring back at me. When people talk to me, I see pouted lips and bubbles escaping. When will the madness end!?! 

That, dear readers, is an excerpt from Shakespeare's thrilling play Halibut. A story of revenge, morality, and lake fishing. But who needs books for dramatic entertainment when you can easily play slot machines online? 

For this review, I share how Big Bass Secrets of the Golden Lake is played, what can be won, and what features and bonuses appear. Plus, I give you a firsthand account of my experience playing this casino game for real money. 

Big Bass Secrets of the Golden Lake by Pragmatic Play is a fish-themed game. But also falls into the category of mythology, for this Big Bass slot is very much medieval in its style, design, and sound. Basically, it hints a lot towards Excalibur and the lake. 

Now, compared to other games in this slot series, this is more basic. The slot, as always, is set beneath the water. It comes with 3 rows and 5 reels. There are 10 paylines to this game, and you will see to the left of the reels that there is an Ante Bet feature and a Bonus Buy feature.

Load the game from your online casino and immediately adjust the value of your bet to suit your budget. Slots cost per spin you play, and for Big Bass Secrets of the Golden Lake, betting starts at $0.10 per spin, but bet values can rise to a max bet cost of $250 per spin ($375 with Ante Bet).

To win, you need to align 3 or more of the same symbol across any of the 10 paylines. 2 or more of the highest-paying symbols, the fishing bobber, also pays out. Other high-paying symbols include a dragonfly, fishing rod, tackle box, and fish (Bass) money symbols. The smaller valued symbols are made up of 10, J, Q, K, and A.

The money symbol values are multiplied by what you are betting per spin.  These values can range from x2 your total bet to 5,000x your wager. So, the more you’re betting, the greater the values are on the money symbols.

Big Bass Secrets of the Golden Lake comes with one very standard special feature, and that’s a free spins bonus round. To land this, you need to catch 3 or more Scatter symbols on the reels. 3 Scatters will reward you with 10 free bonus spins. 4 Scatter symbols return 15 free spins. If you get all 5, then your reward is 20 free spins.

Should you only land 2 Scatters, there is a chance that a random feature will magically appear that can produce one Scatter to help you access the bonus round. Scatter bonus symbols can also move down the reel and can have an effect on producing respins. 

Now, before any bonus round play, you will play a mini-game. In this, there are 12 cards to pick from. This will determine the type of free spins you will play. If you pick a bonus card, you will play a standard free spins round. If you pick the Secrets of the Golden Lake card, you will play the Secrets of the Golden Lake Free Spins round.

In the standard game, the Wild Fisherman also acts as a collector symbol and helps you accumulate all cash symbol values on the screen. With every fourth Fisherman Wild symbol, players can receive 10 more free spins with an x2 multiplier. This multiplier increases each time this feature retriggers. 

In the Secrets of the Golden Lake Free Spins round, you will experience a different set of reels that only contain money symbols and Wilds. You can again win 10 more free spins and earn multipliers with every fourth Fisherman Wild that lands.

Now, Big Bass Secrets of the Golden Lake does have to buy in features. The Ante Bet means that for an extra cost, you can play with a higher chance of landing a bonus feature. Or, you can skip the whole base game and buy your way into the bonus rounds. The cost is 100x your bet for the standard free spins or 270x your bet to play the Secrets of the Golden Lake Free Spins.

Now, I’m sick to death of this slot series, and this game is a perfect example of the developer running out of ideas. But what I will say is that Big Bass Secrets of the Golden Lake is a game that is good value for money because all top symbols payout equal to or more than your bet if you land 3 or more matching symbols. 4 or more symbols of all symbols payout equal to or more than your wager. 

I played Big Bass Secrets of the Golden Lake with my bets set to $2 per spin. I played the game over 50 auto spins, and these are the results. 

There were several times the 2 Scatters landed, which produced the chance feature, but nothing happened in the end. There were several times that I landed some healthy money symbols, and for my first 25 spins, my balance was steady. With my spins running out, the game was getting away from me, and ultimately, there was nothing in the balance to cash out. 

The max payout possible is 5,000 times you bet. So, if you spin the reels at $375 per play, then the jackpot becomes $1,875,000! The Return to Play score for this game is 96.07%, which is normal for Pragmatic Play slots. The volatility to which the game is programmed is high. 

This isn’t a game for me because it was made for fans of the long-over-expanded Big Bass series. The game is very ‘been there, done that’, so players may not take much away from it. If you have not played any game from this series before, then check out the reviews for these alternative Big Bass slots:

Big Bass - Keeping it Reel

Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways

Big Bass Floats My Boat

You can also play these games in their demo mode and find their real money versions inside the best casinos online. Head to the casino reviews found at akfxoqsd.shop for these money makers.