Fire Department rescue divers yesterday afternoon pulled the body of a fisherman from Lake Wilson reservoir in Wahiawa.

Fire Capt. Emmit Kane said the man, 49, was reported missing about 10:40 a.m. by a fishing companion. The two men were in separate boats, Kane said.

"The companion heard his friend call for help and go into the water and hurried over to where the other boat was," Kane said.

The man who fell did not know how to swim, police said, and his friend also could not swim and was unable to save him. The victim was not wearing a life jacket, Kane said.

Rescue divers arrived at the scene and placed a floater in the water to mark the spot where the fisherman went into the water, Kane said.

He said the apparent drowning occurred in the portion of Lake Wilson at the end of California Avenue about 35 yards from shore. The body was recovered about 12:20 p.m. in water about 45 to 50 feet deep, close to the lake's bottom.

Kane said it appeared the man had been operating a typical bass boat, about 14 to 16 feet long, with an electric motor in the front and a large outboard motor in the back. It was unknown how or why the fisherman ended up in the water, Kane said.

The fisherman's body was airlifted to the Ka'ala Elementary School grounds, where city paramedics were waiting. The victim was declared dead at the school.