About two years ago while fishing with a friend, John Connors had a brainstorm: He could design a better lure than the one he was using.

The 44-year-old Makiki resident immediately went to work on his idea, sketching out designs on a piece of paper.

He began tinkering with various prototypes, cutting, bending and molding small pieces of metal to make a lure whose spins and wiggles simulate the movements of a fish in distress.

He then went looking for a manufacturer who could mass produce and package a product to his specifications.

"I just has this idea in my head, drew it up and cut it out of metal," said Connors, owner of Two Jacks Fishing Co.

Last year, Connor became one of scores of local residents and businesses that received a stamp of approval of sorts from the federal government: A U.S. patent.

According to the Patent and Trademark Office, a total of 141 patents were issued to Hawai'i residents and corporations in 2008, a 13.7 percent increase from the year-earlier's 124. The 141 patents also were the highest for Hawai'i since 1976, when the U.S. Patent Office began keeping state-by-state statistics.

The patents range from the extremely technical, such as devices to test high-speed fiber optic transmission networks to the practical, such as a baseball cap for women with a ponytail.

Some, such as Connors' fishing lure, have instant commercial applications. For others, the potential payoffs are further into the future.

Bill Spencer, president of the Hawaii Venture Capital Association, said the rise in the number of patents issued in Hawai'i is a strong "barometer that the local tech sector is growing."

Patents are a good indicator of future job growth in the tech industry, he said. They're also a measure of the effectiveness of incentive programs such as Hawai'i's Act 221 law, which provides state tax credits for companies and individuals that invest in the local high-tech and film industries, he said.

"It's a very good sign that our tech industry is getting traction and is doing what it is supposed to be doing, which is innovating," Spencer said.

Local ship design company Navatek Ltd. received a total of eight patents last year, which is the most in the company's 30-year history. Six more patent applications are pending.

One of Navatek's 2008 patents is for hull forms used on small unmanned vessels that the local ship design company is making for the U.S. and Singapore navies.

The unmanned vessels, which range between 291/2 feet and 36 feet, rely on Navatek's proprietary "entrapment tunnel monohull," which provides a stable ride, more range and additional payload. That makes the boats ideal for patrolling for submarine attacks and other ocean threats, Navatek said.

An earlier 2007 patent covers technologies incorporated into a 65-foot research vessel that's being developed for the Department of Homeland Security and the Navy.

The research ship, dubbed the Kuapa Ray, uses Navatek's patented "bow lifting" technology, which provides for greater fuel efficiency.

For Navatek, the patented technology is big business. The Navy is paying $2.2 million for the Kuapa Ray and another $3.7 million for two unmanned vessels.

The Singapore Navy is paying $800,000 for two smaller unmanned boats.

"This has been a watershed year for us," said Steven Loui, Navatek's president.

Connors, the fishing lure inventor, hopes his innovations will translate into a good living.

A former state and city worker, Connors said sales have dropped off slightly with the sluggish economy.

But he said he hasn't lost any of the eight fishing supply stores in Hawai'i that carry his products, which retail between $4.99 and $7.99.

Connors said he recently persuaded two retailers in Washington state to carry his line, giving him a total of six Mainland retail outlets that sell his lures.

Internet sales also have been steady, he said.

"My long-term goal is to get this in places like Sports Authority, Wal-Mart and big distributors," Connors said.