sorry if this is a dumb question but im new to fishing. so this morning i went out to the lake that ive been going to all ready to catch some fish but when i got there i noticed a layer of, i dunno, i guess youd call it scum or muck or something like that. dunno what it was but it was gross. it was mostly around the edges where the water met the weeds (which of course is right where im trying to catch my bass from). i tried fishing anyway but didnt even get a bite. just succeded in gunking up my line. what is this stuff? why is it there? does it affect the fising? usually when i go the water is clean and theres lots of signs of life (bait fish splashing, bass moving around in the weeds, lots of turtles and even a beaver or 2). but this time there was nothing. just scummy water with lots of bugs all over the water. dunno if the weather could have something to do with it or not. we had a few good thunderstorms last week and the humidity has been crazy. the lake itself is about 20 acres and 5-7 feet deep with thick weeds all around the banks. so im just trying to figure out what the deal is with my lake and whether it would be worth going out again tomorrow? or should i wait a while and see if it clears up?

It's an alge bloom, which is a form of aquatic vegetation in the reproduction stage. My guess is there is a lot of moss in the lake (that's the stringy looking stuff that sticks to everything) and there isn't a lot of wind movement on that lake.

Other than blocking light penetration, it shouldn't affect the fish. Bad news is it'll be around until a good wind or storm blows.

thanks for your help man. hopefully it'll storm soon and clear it all out. think im gonna go out tomorrow anyway. i cant resist

Put a frog through it!

thats actually just what i did. i got several strikes and hooked one and pulled it all the way but it threw the hook just as it broke the surface. it was a big one too . i think i need to work on my hookset.

let the fish take the bait, wait a second and them set the hook, but not too hard...thats the biggest mistake a lot of us noobs make.