Thanks mac.dblues, I think you're right.
But maybe I'm obsessing over nothing. Today I did a little test with some different colored plastic milk caps (they float even when full of water). I scattered them around the pool and watched them. Currently my pool has a very strong clockwise flow. A few caps floated within 2-3 inches of the skimmer without being pulled in. It was frustrating to watch and I decided to walk away and do something else for a while.
I came back 15 min. later and all the milk caps were in the skimmer (along with bugs, leaves, and grass clippings). I repeated the test with the same result. So it seems that everything on the surface is eventually making its way into the skimmer. However, it's still annoying to watch stuff float right by the skimmer, so I think I'll try your suggestion and keep experimenting with my flow.
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I was thinking the same thing. I'll see what I can rig up.