Ah, Brau Master. My father-in-law has a buddy that makes his own beer, he's the only one I know of. A few that make wine.
Far as I know there are no dams around here but I will keep that in mind. Today the lake was like glass in the morning then got a bit choppy in the afternoon.
Kills me seeing guys out there about a mile out, I know they are catching their limit.
So, you remember the Great Fire eh? I was in California when that happened, didn't move here till the 80's. Cleveland has made quite a turn around downtown but it's still a rat hole. To many democrats.
As far as the dams go, you can usually get charts from the COE office. They'll be marked clearly. Do avoid them as they are quite dangerous and you can be in the danger zone almost before you realize you're in serious trouble.
I don't mean to be presumptuous, but a Coast Guard safety class wouldn't be a waste of time IMO. Make sure you carry some of those pen flares with on the water. We had some guy run out of gas on a jet ski on Lake Michigan a couple of years ago and he floated around for 3 days before the CG found him. Nasty sunburn and some serious dehydration.
I remember when they were saying that Lake Erie was 'dead' and would be 'dead' for a hundred years. Now it's just about the premier walleye and smallmouth fishery in the nation. I envy you your proximity. Walleyes are fine eating fish and smallmouth bass are just about the best freshwater fighting fish there is.
I'm not a 'master' brewer by any means, but I do cook up a pretty mean Heffe Weisen and the mead will kick your behind without being cruel about it.
I'm going to try to hit the Camp Perry matches next year. Maybe we'll hook up for a pizza and some frosty ones.
L