SoCo Riding spots?

Im thinking about moving to the Venice area(around LA) and was wondering where people ride around there? I see a bunch of reservoirs there...are you allowed to wakeboard there? Any other spots reasonably close by?

Is san diego the closest spot with a good wakeboarding scene?

All those "reservoirs" are reclaimed water or used for drinking and are off limits. Canyon Lake Backwater is where the pros are, but you need to know someone to get in. Lake Elsinore is ok if you get there early. Long Beach Marina will be close, but it's salt water and gets crazy busy / choppy. Toward San Diego, you have Carlsbad Lagoon (never been) and Misson Bay (both salt water). There may be a few more spots north, but I never cross the LA "Iron Curtain" due to traffic.

There is Lake Castaic which is about an hour north of where you are (no traffic) but it gets blown out and choppy real quick. You need to be on dawn patrol if you want to get any good water.

You can drive a few hours north to Lake Naciemiento. Again you have to be on it early or ride during the week.

Honestly, your best option in LA...learn to surf.

We're about half way between L.A. and San Diego. Believe me, unless you know someone on Canyon Lake, the good water is 4-5 hours away, no matter what direction you drive.
I average over 25,000 miles per year, and I work within 2 miles of home! I'll let you do the math...

Yea, I tried that. Turns out that I'm a terrible surfer... It is possible to ride good water on the weekends in the summer. Lake Elsinore is rideable if you can manage to get a cove pass for the weekend. Castaic also has a skier's cove that works well, but you got to buy the pass for the entire year. Weekdays are pretty good anywhere in the mornings until at least 1030, if not most the day. Marine stadium is your best bet for good weekday water though. It has some pretty solid wind protection for public water. It is also pretty much glass all winter long regardless of weekend or weekday. But that's only if you're ok with the salt. Another epic winter spot is Buena Vista late fall and early spring. A lot of weekends you may be the only boat on the water. You just gotta change your riding spots and schedule as the seasons change. You might also look into Piru and Pyramid early mornings in the spring and fall. You can catch a lot of good water if you're willing to wake up early. But like everyone else said... your best bet is to make friends with someone at canyon. Do your research at each lake and try different things, you'll be surprised how often you can find good water. Between all the lakes/ocean here in LA, I've rode 2-3 times a week in the last few months (mostly on weekends), all from wakeworlders.