That explains the statement earlier about anglers noticing an increase in the quantity of keeper-sized crappie they catch over the next few seasons, beginning right away. The return of normal water level has turned on the whole ecosystem in many Texas lakes.

At the same time that food chain described earlier gets going again, young of the year crappie -- and other game fish species -- also will be taking advantage of newfound cover in the form of freshly flooded vegetation. Those little fry will become fingerlings, and ultimately more of them will survive predation and get on the fast track -- in the case of crappie -- to that 10-inch minimum.

This time next year, the spawn will benefit -- again -- from the cover provided by the vegetation flooded by the rains of 2007. The spawn after that likely will benefit, too. Before you know it, there will be some outstanding crappie fishing in a state that already is home to some pretty good action -- even in low water.

“Many of the lakes in Central and East Texas provide crappie fishing, year in and year out, that is more stable than the lakes out west,” Terre said. “Even now, for example, Lake Meredith is still hurting. All the waters around Abilene and San Angelo are still not in good shape. But our central and eastern lakes are.”

That’s especially good news for anglers who choose to buck the crowds and pass on the usual suspects in favor of Central and East Texas lakes that are smaller and less-known (read that as “getting not so much fishing pressure”).

“Some of the best crappie fishing in the state can be had on smaller impoundments,” Terre offered. “Anglers who fish lakes ranging in size from 200 acres to 800 acres can enjoy some outstanding fishing, and you can argue that these spots don’t get nearly the pressure of a Lake Fork or Rayburn. At the same time, the fishing on quite a few of these smaller reservoirs can be boom or bust.”

From here, anglers are going to enjoy way more boom than bust over the next few years on those lakes that have rebounded from low water to flooding significant new vegetation. Anglers are going to re-discover why crappie rank with bass at the top of the most-sought-after species of inland game fish around the Lone Star State.

It appears that North-Central Texas may be the one region in which the impact of rain will most be enjoyed in terms of a rebirth of crappie fishing. Think about the fact that impoundments like Ray Roberts and Lake Bridgeport had been significantly low before the rains came. If one single region’s going to benefit more than another -- given that West Texas hasn’t had the kind of rain the rest of the Lone Star State has enjoyed -- then North-Central Texas is probably that region.

That said, one of the real sleeper crappie fisheries in the northern part of the state just could turn out to be sprawling Lake Texoma. Terre didn’t mention it, and there’s no significant piece of evidence to support that -- so call it a hunch.

Texoma is extremely large, home to a dynamic mix of game fish species and, as a result, some great angling. The thought here is that stripers, black bass and catfish hog the Texoma spotlight. That being said, fisheries that good suggest that crappie probably do well on the big lake, too. We just don’t hear much about them. Be sure to check out Texoma’s crappie fishing.