Was considering exploreing fly fishing for steelies and was wondering what weight of fly rod to use?

I have used a 6,7,8wt. flyrods for steelhead, and I now have two 8wt that I use almost exclusively. A lot depends on the water you will fish, the fish that you expect to catch, etc... My favorite all around steelhead rod is an 9'6" 8wt. The longer rods will help you mend and control your line on the water and can help you cast a little farther. Best thing to do is to go and cast a few rods so that you can feel the difference between a slow action rod to a fast action, etc....find out where your wish list meets your wallet.
PS my first steelhead fly rod was a Fenwick glass 7wt. (about $70) and I have caught numerous trout, steelhead, and salmon on the old beast. I used it about a year before stepping up.
Good luck!

I agree with Steeliegreg, 8WT 9'6

Again I have to say an 8wt 9'6". The longer rod makes it so you can cast farther and mend better.

Well, one 'minor disenter' here... :>)

If your going to use a one hander, I'd have 2 rods, both 10 foot in a 6 and an 8. If you want to get into Spey Rods, the first should be a 13-6 or 14 foot rod for 8 or 9 wt lines.

(Side Bar: I've got 14 spey rods now and the 'King of the Hill' is a 7-8-9 13' 6" 2 hander built by R B Meiser Rods out of Ashland, OR. Bob designs all his own blanks and hand builds all his rods. Each is 'customized' to the individual buyer from finish/fittings/to grip size. This particular rod will run you about $575 with a second tip provided. He has a web site so you can view his work.)

With summer flows you could easily be down in a 6-7, or higher flows with a 10 wt rod.

Yeah, I'm in agreement with those who suggested the 9' 6" 8-wt rod. For the summers you can drop down to a 7-wt of the same length and do just fine.

Another aspect to consider is the action: fast, moderate, mod-fast, slow, etc., and this varies with each individual's IQ and education level (I think )

Actually rod action is based on the users generation.

Pre-Boom - slow
Boomers - Medium
GenX - Medium Fast
GenNintendo - Fast

If that's the case, what will the next generation use? And the generation after that? A broom stick?

Don't worry about the next generations, the way the state is going they won't even know what a steelhead is.

Go with the G.Loomis GL2 8wt 9' model if you intend on using sinktips for winter or summer fishing. Rod has a somewhat med. slow action that really aids in shooting those heavier sinktips out a country mile w/ minimul false casting. I personally use this setup and have landed a 17lb wild Feb fish with this setup. It runs around $200 to 215.
The slow action builds up the weight of the sinktip easier and gives you a good powerful forward stroke to propell that line out a healthy distance if needed...Dennis Dickson recommends this setup for the above mentioned reasons.