Always leaves me wondering ...

[beaver]

I was fishing from a friend's boat a few years ago off of Noman's when I hooked into a nice 35 lb fish on an eel. As it got closer to the boat there was a massive shadow behind the fish. What does my buddy do? Throw his eel out and land a 53 lber. I have seen this happen multiple times but this is the only time I've experienced the big shadow being caught. Certainly makes you wonder what goes on at night when you can't see.

[RoyL]

I see it alot, especialy when trowing Dannys. I also think there interested just not enough. Smaller fish will almost always beat the bigger fish to the bait. If they really want it they will eat it.

[FishermanTim]

It's what I've heard termed as an "escort".
The fish that folow your hooked fish are tagging along because most hooked fish will regurgitate the contents of their stomach to try and dislodge the hook. This fish "chum" is food that the escorts were hoping for.
By tossing another offering behind your hooked fish, it fools the others into thinking they have a free meal.
It's just another interesting aspect of fishing that continues to impress me.