A marlin’s bill gives you a pretty good indication that it might not be such a good idea to bring a green one into the boat.  A cougar’s claws and sharp teeth make it pretty clear that you don’t want to be stuck in an elevator with an angry one.  Why do bonefish have downward turned mouths?  Why do murderous gang members have tattoos on their necks and faces?  To the observant angler, the way to catch a fish is often written in its anatomy.  You can tell quite a bit just by looking around…

For the whole story, you’ll have to read Elliott Stark’s article in the coming issue.  Until then here is how it starts…

They say you can tell a lot about a person in the way they present themselves.  If a guy has tear drops inked beneath his eyes and a “Satan Lives” tattoo on his neck, you might not want to meet him in a dark alley.  Or, if your blind date shows up with a deep voice, hands larger than yours and an Adam’s apple to match, you might question her feminine persuasion.  A few observations about the anatomy of a fish can just as accurately provide ways to approximate how the mackerel behaves.  There is an adage in biology that says “Form follows function.”  The way something appears can tell you quite a bit about what it is good at doing.

Few parts are more telling of a fish’s behavior than its tail.   There are many types, but for our purposes we will look at two groups— the lunate, sickle type possessed by billfish and tuna and the broom shaped tail inhabiting the motor end of the likes striped bass and redfish.   Each tail structure has positive attributes—the lunate tail of the blue marlin provides the fish with a high top end speed.  The wider broom-shaped tail is built less for max speed, but provides the maneuverability needed to hide behind a pylon before ambushing a mullet.

Tail structures are defined by the aspect ratio (AR)– the height of the tail divided by its width.  The higher the ratio– the taller and skinnier a tail is—the more rapidly the fish can swim….