i know what you mean fella, but i can only speak from myself.
we booked for may 2010 and after booking was very very worried about what i had read on forums etc but hay ho i was booked and i had to go.
my view is this (i'm no expert angler but class my self as let say compertant with 15 years experiance) it's by no means an easy water unless your in peg 1, just bait boat your baits some 130 yards agains the trees and you'll have it off, sorry but thats not for me.
you have to work your swim my 3 rods were fished at about 50 yards the first sopt i found was pukka, but it took me until 4pm the second day to be totally happy with my other 2 spots, but all the effert was worth it as i was top rod for the week with 12 fish even out fishing peg1. but it was hard.
i had fish to 52lb.
there was a bloke on the next peg to us who had returned to the lake after blanking the previous year and said his peg was much better this time, but yep you guessed it he blanked again after watching him fish it was not until 5 days into the week he got his marker out prefuring to drop baits in by bait boat where ever he fancied, not once in the week after i started catching did he come up to ask what i was doing, (where all there for the same thing which was to catch BIG carp) i would have gladly offered advise.
so to sum it up i personally think the lake it fantastic yes the owner does come accross a bit money mad but its his living, each to there own.
i've booked again next year and even after the result of this trip if i have 4or5 fish for the week i will be buzzing, as i said it's NOT EASY but hard work will pay off if you've done your homework and found the spots etc...
i hope this helps any questions regarding anything please ask i can only tell you what i did not anybody else.
oh buy the way if you can get the July copy of Carpology there is an artical in there on the lake, and the three fish you see on the bottom of the right hand page were all caught our week in july (i'm on the left) the middle fish come from peg 1 and bottomed the guys scales out the owner knows the fish and estimates it at 63-64lb and the right a fish to a guy named Matt from peg 4.
also i was up most nights and slept during the day, so i could see where the fish were showing.