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A whale of a tale: Rogue River anglers share fishing spot GOLD BEACH � Sport-anglers fishing for chinook salmon in the Rogue River estuary were treated to a bit of marine-mammal musings when a gray whale swam into the bay. The whale slipped between the bay�s rock jetties around 4 p.m. Thursday, much to the delight of fishermen amazed at being so close to a creature so big. "It was maybe 20 yards from us," said Sam Hughes of Medford, who watched the whale for about 15 minutes. "We didn�t catch any fish, and seeing the whale was the highlight of our day." Gray whales have a penchant for generating this type of hype. The large mammals occasionally swim into rivers and bays in search of food, says Thomas Follett, an Oregon State University faculty-research assistant studying marine mammals at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. The whales skim shrimp and other food off the muddy sea floor, so river mouths sometimes offer a nice buffet for them, Follett said. While the Rogue River whale stayed near the jetties, some gray whales will venture much farther upstream. "They�re shallow-water feeders, and sometimes they do go exploring," Follett said. "A few weeks ago, one went way up Coos Bay and into a tributary." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA