Len Rich was born and raised in Whitehall, New York. He was first exposed to Newfoundland and Labrador with the US Air Force in 1959-60. He later returned to settle on the west coast in the Corner Brook area in 1966.

An award winning writer, he had achieved recognition by peers in several writers organizations, and in 1991 was a recipient of the Canada Recreational Fisheries Award, presented by the Governor General at Rideau Hall, in recognition of outdoor writing and a contribution to conservation which influenced a generation of sport fishers.