I used to wonder the same thing, then I started doing some fishing on the Kenia river in Alaska where you can see the fish in the river. I learned the fish look into the current. In heavy current they will only eat what drifts into them; nothing else in nature could move opposite that the would eat.

To a very small bait fish, the current around a point or boulder will be signficant relative to the energy and power they posses and they will go with the flow under normal conditions. The lazzy preditor will set up in a lower current spot looking for the bait to float by. It will not look as natural if the bait flows opposite current.

When I notice this pattern most is in a heavy wind and not when current is being pulled in a ****. In a shallow flat on KYL that is say 3ft deep a 15mph current will create a current and fish will look into the wind for baitfish being pushed to them. I have been in the boat when we landed 60 crappie in an hour in a big wind on jigs. My partner starting killing them and me none until I started throwing into the wind at his exact angle. Then we were doing doubles for about 30 minutes straight.