JONESVILLE — Two Catahoula Parish fishermen apparently drowned in the Black River Saturday night.

The Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Catahoula Parish Sheriff’s Office, located the bodies of Kevin Posey and Michael Mason Sunday morning, Concordia Parish Sheriff Randy Maxwell said.

The two men, both of whom were 46, allegedly drowned after their small fishing boat apparently capsized Saturday night while running trotlines behind the Jonesville Locks and Dam on Black River, Maxwell said.

The search started at 10:40 p.m., when the CPSO was notified. All agencies involved searched the waters until nearly 3 a.m. The search resumed after daylight, and the bodies were found at 8:30 and 8:45 a.m.

Maxwell said the men were not wearing lifejackets.

“This is a horrendous tragedy for these families, but one that could have been prevented if they had only been wearing lifejackets,” he said.

Witnesses on the bank indicated that one of the fishermen may have been attempting to save the other when they both went down.

Maxwell expressed his appreciation to the Wildlife and Fisheries and Catahoula Sheriff’s Office personnel who joined in the search efforts.

“We’re truly grateful for all of their assistance,” Maxwell said.