Any angler who is into lure or fly fishing will have seen a fish follow their lure and not take it.

This is an interesting phenomena that deserves a little exploration.

Firstly, most lure or fly anglers select a lure by looking at it side on, but the tail view is equally as important.

You see most fish will end up slotting in behind a moving lure if they haven't made their mind up already. I have seen some fish swim along side a lure to get a better look. Marlin and other game fish for example will sometimes peek a little from the side.

Other fish will also take a side look, I once saw a golden perch do a full lap of a surface lure before swimming off.

However this sort of behaviour is rare, how the lure looks from behind is much more important.

Or in the case of surface lures it is important how a lure looks from underneath, and for lures, eg softies, that sit on the sand top views are important.

Much of the success of soft plastic lures is that when a fish follows the lure for a closer look, it is faced with a wriggling life like tail that will often trip them over the edge.

While the various views of a lure are not everything, it is well worth considering, especially when the fish are fussy and are following your lure. Take a look through your lure or fly box with this in mind, and you are sure to gain more insight into lure and fly fishing.