Frozen angler anyone?

[Catskill Mountain Man]

As always I suite up and head to the ramapo every winter. It's the only place where I can (and need) to try nymphs and streamers, my mortal enemies. So same as last year I will don my thick feather down camouflage snowboarding coat and park across the river from I-87/the nosiest road to flyfish by. I hear the same tips for fishing these necessities of the season but can never understand what "You have to feel the the fish strike the nymph" or "let your streamer swing then feel for the strike" means. I know i've gotten a few flashes on a wooly bugger back on a favorite part of the ramapo but no matter how fast I am to them i never catch a break, or a trout. I normally end up stupidly fishing midges when the weather gets above freezing because frankly I am terrible at fly fishing. Who isnt. Whats the trick to winter fishing? Is there more than "use pam", Get "finger-tipless gloves", and "bring a flask?" Do trout lies change? Is the behavior differnt than the regular "They're sluggish", Are some types of rivers better or worse? Low gradient? High Gradient? I dont want another fishless winter and end up ruining my spring by breaking a wrist on the slopes