To systematically investigate how geographical environmental factors regulate the growth of topmouth culter (Hemiculter leucisculus) and its ecological adaptation strategies, this study collected related ecological survey data from eight representative lakes (i.e., Wuliangsuhai Lake, Songhua Lake, Hengshui Lake, Taihu Lake, Lihu Lake, Baima Lake, Qionghai Lake, and Erhai Lake) during 2022 to 2024. Multi-dimensional environmental variables, including latitudinal gradients, lake basin morphological indices, and water physicochemical parameters, were considered as potential environmental factors affecting the growth of H. leucisculus Statistical approaches, including Pearson correlation analysis, redundancy analysis (RDA), and generalized additive models (GAM), were employed to evaluate the impacts of environmental heterogeneity on key growth parameters of H. leucisculus. The results revealed that the growth coefficient (K) and inflection point age (t₁) of H. leucisculus were primarily influenced by shoreline development index (SDI) and transparency (SD). Optimal conditions for maximizing K and minimizing t₁ occurred when SDI ranged from 0.3 to 0.4 and SD from 0.5 to 1 m, indicating that moderately complex shorelines and moderate water clarity create favorable microhabitats for resource acquisition and growth efficiency of H. leucisculus Additionally, water depth (H) exhibited a significantly negative correlation with t₁ suggesting deeper lakes tend to delay the inflection point of growth, possibly due to reduced vertical habitat complexity or thermocline-induced metabolic constraints. Water temperature (WT) and H appeared as critical determinants for asymptotic body length ( L_∞). L_∞ reached its peak at 18–20 ℃, aligning with the thermal optimum for metabolic efficiency and energy allocation to somatic growth, while the minimum L_∞ occurred at a depth of 15 m, likely reflecting trade-offs between depth-dependent resource accessibility and energy expenditure. RDA revealed strong correlations between SDI and zooplankton biomass, SD and zooplankton biomass, WT and phytoplankton productivity, and H and phytoplankton productivity, further indicated that such environmental effects are possibly mediated through trophic pathways, forming a cascading effect on prey availability that shapes growth trajectories. By constructing a predictive model integrating lake morphology and hydrological parameters, this study demonstrated that geographical factors indirectly impact fish life history strategies by altering prey distribution and habitat quality. The findings provide a quantitative framework for adaptive management of fish resources at the basin scale, enabling the identification of critical environmental thresholds to support optimal growth. This research bridges ecological theory and applied fisheries management, offering scientific guidance for balancing sustainable resource utilization with aquatic ecosystem conservation, especially under ongoing climate change and anthropogenic pressures. The integrative methodology also serves as a transferable framework for studying species-environment interactions in lentic ecosystems, emphasizing the value of multi-dimensional datasets in unraveling complex adaptive mechanisms.