Regarding the hackle tail. Many recipes specifically call for tying the hackles concave sides together, (), yet watching a video of Lefty himself tying one, he twists a bunch of hackles to achieve the opposite effect. Obviously, Lefty knows how his own fly should be tied, but how do you do it? He also does not bother with the built up head or eyes for that matter. The video is available here.
http://www.flyfisherman.com/ftb/lkdeceiver/