HOME VALLEY, Wash. -- Authorities are still searching for three Yakama tribal fishermen who went missing on the Columbia River after their boat capsized earlier this week.

Today, officers with the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Yakama Nation Police and an auxiliary unit with the U.S. Coast Guard will continue looking for the fishermen who didn't return after checking their nets Tuesday night.

Their boat was found Wednesday in the Columbia River near the mouth of the Wind River, about eight miles east of Bonneville Dam in Skamania County.

A somber mood hung over a nearby park where families gathered awaiting word. Several tents were propped up in the park, and family members occasionally walked to the river's edge.

They said they weren't ready to talk, and asked to be left alone.

Authorities are withholding the names of the missing men. Their ages ranged from 20 to 40.

A crew of about 15 officers form the Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Yakama Nation, Skamania County Sheriff's Office and the Coast Guard battled stiff winds and white-capped waves Thursday while searching for the men.

Divers probed the waters where the boat was located, but found no evidence of the men, said Sgt. Arne Gonser with the dive team.

The boat may have capsized farther upriver and then floated down to where it was discovered half-submerged near a rock in the middle of the river, he said.

Divers and the Coast Guard pulled out of the search Thursday afternoon, but boats from the Yakama Nation and Inter-Tribal Fish Commission stayed on the water into the evening, said Inter-Tribal Sgt. Mitch Hicks.

Divers won't be deployed today, but boats will be out on the water again continuing the search, he said.

Authorities were notified Wed-nesday morning of the overdue fish-
ermen who motored out into the river the night before. Winds were anywhere from 20 to 25 mph that night, with gusts even higher, Hicks said.

Even if the river is rough, most fishermen go out to pull fish from their nets to keep them fresh, said Yakama fisherman Johnny Jackson.

"This time of year the water is warm," he said. "They don't want to leave fish out too long. That's why they like to clean their nets regularly."

* Phil Ferolito can be reached at 577-7749 or pferolito@yakimaherald.com.