If you've fallen into the habit of rigging tandem hooks for billfish lures, then you're missing out on a lot of action. Two hooks are not necessarily better than one. The stiff single- hook rig is gaining converts every day, which isn't surprising considering its predecessor has been around for a long, long time.

In 1949, Ernest Hemingway meticulously described his tackle specifications for marlin. For whites he preferred white feather jigs with a pork rind trailer, and for blues up to 1,000 pounds, rigged albacore and bonito. The common denominator for both? Single hooks in corresponding sizes to match the bait.

Papa didn't have the convenience of modern day tackle stores or mail order catalogs, but he did know what worked. On the proving waters of the Gulf Stream, he kept his tackle simple and effective. This same philosophy is still relevant for today's offshore applications.

The trend to use artificial lures instead of natural baits brings certain tangible benefits. Rigging is cleaner and you're able to cover more water with the faster trolling speeds possible with lures. But are you sacrificing presentation and hookup ratios by pulling plugs of acrylic or injected rubber? Most purists would argue yes. The best-of-both-worlds compromise? Running lures with a stiff single-hook rig.

I first encountered the single hook application while fishing the International Billfish Tournament in San Juan. I was on the same boat as Red Bailey, and I watched with curiosity as the veteran St. Thomas captain deftly rigged a soft plastic lure. Red started with a length of 400-pound mono leader. Allowing for the lure length and wraps, he crimped a piece of standard copper rigging wire to the leader with a sleeve. A 10/0 hook was tightly crimped on the opposite end. Next he wrapped the copper wire around the mono and through the hook eye to stiffen the rig section. Tape wraps around the mono and wire completed the process.

Bailey and other captains in St. Thomas and San Juan now fish the stiff single-hook rig exclusively. And this is after their apprenticeship with natural bait. Why such devotion? Try an amazingly high hookup percentage. During a trial period using the single-hook rigs, Bailey's boat scored 26 hookups out of 27 strikes. In addition to those favorable odds, there are other benefits as well.

With a single-hook outfit, the fish is typically hooked in the corner of the jaw. This makes for easier and less stressful releases. Since there's not a free-swinging second hook, injuries to the eyes and gills are avoided. If the fish breaks off, it only has one hook to get rid off instead of two. Crew safety is also enhanced with a solo rig since you don't have to contend with that dangerous second hook while leadering.

But let's get back to that best-of-both-worlds concept. The stiff single-hook rig is fished like a dead bait. By that I mean you use a bare minimum drag on your reels (only enough to hold the pattern). If you're trolling the lures from outriggers, use clips or roller trollers with a very light setting. Avoid tag lines as they defeat the dead bait presentation. When the fish strikes, allow a long-count dropback. This gives him a chance to run and swallow the lure. It also gives you a better angle for setting the hook.

Less resistance equals more hookups, so be patient. With the long dropback you'll have plenty of time to get into the chair or adjust your standup gear. And since a lure won't wash out and can be trolled faster, you're able to cover more water than you would with natural baits alone.

There are two keys to successful single-hook rigging--stiffness and keeping the lure and rig together. In order to avoid a floppy rig (which means less hooksets), special modifications are necessary. As detailed earlier, Red Bailey accomplished this with copper wire along the mono and through the hook eye. Other single-hook innovators have come up with alternative techniques.

Frank Johnson of Mold Craft Lures uses stainless steel sailboat rigging cable in place of mono. A no-flop fit is ensured by pulling the crimp up tightly against the hook eye, then taking the first bite of the crimping tool on the end of the sleeve opposite the eye. This snugs the sleeve toward the hook as the other crimps are made. A crimped thimble on the other end of the rig attaches to the leader and prevents chafing.

Capt. Sadu Frehm, maker of Sadu Lures and an outspoken single-hook proponent, perfected his technique in Hawaiian waters. He uses plastic beads to stiffen the 400-pound mono section and a crimp/heat shrink combination to keep the hook from swinging. A small diameter tube in front of the beads helps lock the hook in position as it jams into the back of the lure head. Frehm also recommends running the hookpoint up if the lure has an angled face.

Since the single hook rig is fished like a bait, it's critical that the lure and hook stay together. If a separation occurs the fish is probably going to drop everything and you've lost your strike opportunity. Depending on the style of the rig and the lure design, you can keep things together with a locking tube or by jamming the crimp into the leader hole on the lure head. Other ways of locking the rig in place are with toothpick wedges, tape or dental floss.

Whether you're rigging your own or buying pre-rigged lures, it only makes sense to conform to International Game Fish Association (IGFA) rules. You may not set out to catch a world record, but then again, you never know when that fish of a lifetime is going to appear in the pattern. IGFA stipulates that a hook cannot extend more than a hook's length beyond the skirt of the lure. In the case of single hook rigs, that's convenient as well as proper. With the curve of the hook extending just beyond the skirt, the lure has the best action and hook-setting potential. Any more and it loses its natural profile.

An appropriately sized O'Shaughnessy hook is the style to use when rigging these lures. Any other hook style could negatively impact the action or the hookset.

Always enhance the hookpoint by sharpening before use. I prefer the half-diamond pattern and also file down the barb to aid penetration. However, use caution to avoid too fine a point because otherwise you'll weaken the metal.

Hemingway was a fanatic when it came to rigging his single- hook baits. But, his diligence paid off with a high catch rate. If Papa were fishing today, I bet he'd have stiff single-hook rigs in his spread.