NOEL, Mo. -- A 54-year-old Missouri man drowned last month in the Elk River after attempting to assist a boater caught in dam hydraulics, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol incident report.

NOEL, Mo. — A small-town rafting resort is winding down towards the end of the summer and changing the way it does business.

A Neosho man who jumped into the Elk River in McDonald County to try to help a distressed boater was pulled into the dam's hydraulics.

A Neosho man who jumped into the Elk River in McDonald County to try to help a distressed boater was pulled into the dam's hydraulics.

The entire Elk River system, including Big Sugar, Little Sugar and Indian creeks, offers superb smallmouth bass fishing. Anglers 16 and older need to carry a Missouri fishing license.