BAIT BOYS
4/27/2007 10:07:04 AM by Natalia Maldonado
Famed radio personalities Paul and Young Ron of BIG 105.9 are doing more than just gracing the airwaves — they’re catching real waves whenever they’re not on-air. Well, at least one of them is.
There’s a certain irony to having a boat named Hectic Daze IV when it brings nothing but relaxation, but that’s just the kind of humor that characterizes radio personality Paul Castronovo.
“I’ve been saying ‘Have a hectic day’ on the radio for a long time now,” says Castronovo, whose morning show, “Paul & Young Ron” with partner Ron Brewer airs weekday mornings on classic rock station Big 105.9 FM.
An avid boater who spends most weekends at sea with his family, his days seem like they’d be anything but hectic. When he moved to Florida as a kid in the early ‘70s, Castronovo’s father and grandfather would take him fishing in the Palm Beach area.
“I was hooked,” says Castronovo. “I’ve been a fishing nut ever since. I surfed through my 20s until I bought my first boat — then I traded my surfboard for a boat and I haven’t looked back since.” Now he’s got a 35-foot Contender Sportfisher, which he’s enjoying — for now. “Of course I got word that Contender’s coming out with a 40-footer, and I have to have it,” he says. “It’s a sickness, but a good sickness.”
And he says his morning listeners can relate. “I really believe that the South Florida fishing community has bonded with me about that,” says Castronovo. Whether it’s “Fishing with Forgione,” a Friday fishing report in which Captain Dennis Forgione calls in to tell everyone what’s biting, or a boat giveaway called “Cast off with Castronovo,” there’s always something on the air for fellow boaters.
If for some inexplicable reason, you’re not into the boating lifestyle…there’s the other half of Paul & Young Ron, Brewer, who sarcastically jokes: “I need to feel the waves lapping at the bow of my vessel,” before admitting he’s not really into boating. Castronovo explains his hesitation, remembering a weekend they were at the Ocean Reef Club and Brewer went on a paddleboat in four feet of water with his son. “The next thing I know, he falls off. How a person can fall off a paddleboat is beyond me. Ever since that day and the subsequent screening of the film The Perfect Storm, Ron can’t get on a boat.”
Through Big 105.9, which sponsors the Pompano Beach Fishing Rodeo and will broadcast Wave’s MarineSuperShow, the duo hold a holiday food drive which raises more than a million pounds of food for charity each year. Castronovo remains active in the community as co-chairman of the Miami Dolphins Fishing Tournament, which gave him his proudest moment in fishing when he earned the top spot two years ago.
Castronovo’s passion for fishing is one he’s passed on to his family, especially his youngest son, Anthony, who is six years old and already has a tuna mounted on the wall of his bedroom. And with so many years out at sea, it’s not surprising that Castronovo has had his fair share of zany moments on the water, one of which tops them all.
It was Easter weekend 2005 and he and his wife, Gina, were heading home from Cat Key in the Bahamas. In transit, Gina convinced him to pull a couple of lines out. “I thought I’d hooked a tree but was pleased to discover it was a white marlin instead,” he recalls. “It was pandemonium for the next half hour. She’s driving the boat, I’m reeling in the marlin and she’s taking pictures of the scene.” Seems the boat was aptly named after all.