Two-spot red snapper is its other name, after the pale spots young fish carry on the back; adults lose them and turn brick red. They live along steep reef slopes, channel edges and drop-offs across the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, eating fish, crabs and squid. The fight is one heavy run for the rock, and the first seconds decide the outcome.
On the table it needs care. Bohar is one of the reef fish most often linked to ciguatera, and in many island communities the bigger ones are not eaten. Plenty of anglers take a photo and let a good one go.
Our boat for it is Tide Explorer, which leaves Malé at 06:30 on a 4 or 8 hour private trip for up to 6. The crew mixes reef work with offshore trolling, so a bohar belongs to the reef stops: bait on the bottom, or a jig worked close to the drop-off. Gear is on board, and the full day comes with lunch, snacks, ice and water. Say when you book that you want reef fish, or the day may go to trolling for tuna and wahoo. Coral trout share the same ground. More boats are on our Maldives page.
Questions and answers
Short answers to what people ask before they book. Anything else, ask the captain in chat.
Can you eat a bohar snapper caught off Malé?
Bohar is a well known ciguatera risk, especially the larger fish, and many reef communities avoid it. Ask the Tide Explorer crew before planning a meal around one. They know which local reef fish are safe to keep.
Is the 4 hour trip from Malé long enough for a bohar?
It can be, because bohar live on the reef edges around the atolls rather than far out at sea. Ask the crew to spend the morning bottom fishing and jigging on the reef instead of trolling.