FISHIN' FRENZY

How the Fisherman Wild Actually Works

Fishin' Frenzy's signature mechanic separates it from standard fishing slots. The Fisherman symbol only appears during the free spins feature, not in the base game. When one or more Fisherman symbols land anywhere on the reels during a free spin, each Fisherman collects the prize value from every fish symbol visible on screen at that moment.

Here's the critical detail: if you land two Fishermen and five fish showing values of 50, 100, 150, 200, and 500, you don't just collect 1,000 total. Each Fisherman collects all five fish values independently, meaning you receive 2,000 (1,000 x 2 Fishermen). This multiplicative effect creates the slot's biggest win potential.

Fish symbols display fixed values of 20, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, or 500. These appear randomly in the base game but become lucrative only when Fishermen arrive during free spins to harvest them.

Free Spins Trigger Mathematics

The Boat scatter symbol triggers the free spins feature. Unlike many slots where scatters must land on specific reels, Boats count from any position across all five reels:

• 3 Boats anywhere = 10 free spins
• 4 Boats anywhere = 15 free spins
• 5 Boats anywhere = 20 free spins

Free spins play at the same bet level and line configuration as the triggering spin. The feature cannot retrigger, meaning you cannot win additional free spins during the bonus round. All free spins must complete using the initial award.

During free spins, the Fisherman symbol becomes active on all reels. The Fisherman substitutes for all symbols except the Boat scatter, functioning as a traditional wild while simultaneously collecting fish prizes when present.

Paytable Breakdown by Symbol

Real Time Gaming structures Fishin' Frenzy with distinct symbol tiers. All values shown represent coins won, which multiply by your bet per line:

Selectable Payline System

Fishin' Frenzy uses a 1-10 selectable payline structure, uncommon in modern slots. You choose how many of the 10 fixed payline patterns to activate. Each payline requires a separate bet, so playing all 10 lines at 100 coins per line costs 1,000 total.

Paylines run left to right across the 5x3 grid. Winning combinations must start from the leftmost reel and continue on consecutive reels along an active payline. Only the highest win on each individual payline pays, but wins across different paylines combine for your total award.

The game displays active paylines in distinct colours: purple, red, green, blue, orange, pink, and yellow. These illuminate when forming winning combinations, making it clear which patterns delivered your win.

RTP Analysis and Volatility Profile

The 96.12% RTP sits above the 96% industry standard, confirmed in version 1.6.1.8 released 17 January 2023. This percentage represents theoretical return over millions of spins, not a guarantee for individual sessions.

Volatility leans medium-high. The base game provides regular small wins from card symbols and occasional mid-value hits from fishing equipment symbols. The Pelican's 400,000-coin potential for five symbols creates substantial base game variance.

The free spins feature drives the slot's volatility profile. A fortunate combination of multiple Fishermen landing with numerous high-value fish symbols can produce wins exceeding 100x your total bet in a single free spin. However, free spins can also complete with minimal fish collection if Fishermen appear infrequently.

Optimal Betting Strategy

The bet range spans 100 to 200,000 coins (or currency equivalent). With 10 selectable paylines, your actual bet per line ranges from 10 to 20,000 when playing all lines.

Playing fewer than 10 paylines reduces your total bet but also decreases winning opportunities. Symbols landing on inactive paylines award nothing. For maximum RTP, always activate all 10 paylines and adjust your bet per line to match your bankroll.

The 250,000x maximum win applies to your total bet, not bet per line. At minimum bet (100 total with all lines active), the maximum win reaches 25,000,000 coins. At maximum bet (200,000 total), the cap hits 50,000,000,000 coins, though practical wins rarely approach theoretical maximums.

Autoplay Configuration Options

Fishin' Frenzy includes comprehensive autoplay functionality. Select the number of automatic spins from the autoplay menu, and the game executes them at your chosen bet configuration.

Autoplay halts automatically when free spins trigger, allowing you to watch the bonus feature manually. It also stops if you reach a preset loss limit or win a progressive jackpot (if the game connects to a progressive network, though the base version contains no built-in progressive).

During autoplay, the remaining spin count displays on the spin button. Press the stop button to interrupt autoplay after the current spin completes. Press spin again to resume the remaining automatic spins.

Comparison to Other Fishing Slots

Blueprint Gaming's original Fishin' Frenzy uses a different mathematical model than RTG's version. The RTG variant offers higher maximum payouts (250,000x versus Blueprint's lower cap) but implements the Fisherman collection mechanic only during free spins rather than as a random base game feature.

Big Bass Bonanza by Pragmatic Play shares the fishing theme and collection mechanic but includes a progressive free spins system where each retrigger increases multipliers. Fishin' Frenzy's non-retriggering free spins create a different volatility curve with more consistent feature length.

The 96.12% RTP exceeds many competing fishing slots. Big Bass Bonanza sits at 96.71% in its highest RTP configuration, while various Fishin' Frenzy variants from other providers range from 95.02% to 96.96%.