In both cases it boils down to location, location, location . Almost anywhere you find an uneven bottom with rocky reefs, shoals, ledges, jetties, underwater spires or pinnacles, you will likely find lingcod. Close to shore look for kelp jungles and areas where the currents are strongest. Any vertical relief from an otherwise flat bottom usually holds lingcod or the bait they love to munch. Lingcod frequent rocky areas, but they can be found in pelagic schools from time to time.
Lingcod tend to lay in the upside of current flow over rocks.
They wait for their prey to flow over them so they'll lay in these hydraulic liaisons and jump on prey going over them. Nautical charts and current charts aid in the search for lingcod living rooms. A current chart provides the direction of current for low and high tides. Knowing this information can save time and lots of money. While some charter boats anchor over lingcod habitat, most private boaters do not.